Case Study
Collector Substation for a Utility-Scale Solar Project
A utility-scale solar developer lost their original transformer supplier mid-project and faced a commercial-operation deadline tied to their interconnection agreement. JCL sourced grid-tie units that met the interconnection spec and coordinated heavy-haul delivery to a remote site.
- Client
- Utility-scale solar developer
- Location
- Southwest United States
- Capacity
- 2 × 75 MVA
- Voltage Class
- 230 kV
Collector Substation for a Utility-Scale Solar Project
A utility-scale solar developer was weeks from energizing when their original transformer supplier slipped delivery. With a commercial-operation date locked to the interconnection agreement, every week mattered — and the replacement units had to meet the utility's spec exactly.
A missed delivery against an immovable COD
The developer’s commercial-operation date was tied to their interconnection agreement with the utility — miss it, and the queue position and revenue both came under threat. When the original equipment supplier pushed delivery of the collector substation transformers, the entire project schedule was at risk.
The replacement units couldn’t be just anything in stock. The utility’s interconnection agreement imposed strict requirements on impedance, voltage regulation, and grounding — and the inverter-heavy duty profile of a solar collector substation called for transformers rated for that service. On top of the spec, the site sat well off the highway in remote terrain, raising real logistics questions for two 75 MVA units.
Interconnection-ready units, hauled to the middle of nowhere
JCL identified two 230 kV grid-tie units that met the interconnection spec — impedance, voltage regulation, grounding configuration, and a duty rating suited to inverter output — and walked the developer’s engineers through how each matched the utility’s requirements before committing.
With the units secured, our team coordinated heavy-haul transport, crane services, and pad-prep timing to the remote site, sequencing the move around the construction schedule. Both units arrived with full factory test reports and the documentation the utility needed to clear interconnection.
Interconnection deadline at risk?
Send us your interconnection requirements and we'll find grid-tie units that meet the spec — and get them to site, however remote. We've done the heavy haul before.