How co-ops are solving the speed-to-power gap with hybrid solar + storage

Hybrid power plants can help co-ops solve the speed-to-power gap. Generation can’t be built fast enough to keep up with rising demand from data centers, domestic manufacturing, and increased electrification of all kinds. Pairing solar with energy storage provides an adaptable solution to affordably and reliably serve near and medium-term demand.

How co-ops are solving the speed-to-power gap with hybrid solar + storage  

After a decade of near-flat demand, electricity use is climbing again. The EIA projects demand will keep rising every year through 2050, driven largely by data centers, domestic manufacturing and broadscale electrification.¹ The challenge for many co-ops is that data centers can be built in 18 months or less, while a utility-scale gas plant can take up five to seven plus years to come online. That gap between demand and supply is widening quickly, causing many co-ops to look for new sources of reliable generation.  

Enter the hybrid power plant  

Hybrid solar + storage plants are fast becoming best-fit options for many utilities seeking to address the surge in demand. Their dispatchability is one reason why: Battery storage shapes variable solar generation into a firmer product, increasing reliability, better matching customer loads, and providing grid operators with flexible assets built for an unpredictable demand market. 

Investment reflects this momentum: Co-located solar + storage assets attracted a record $25 billion in the first half of the year — triple the first-half of 2025 – with the US and Australia remaining the top markets, according to Bloomberg NEF. ² 

Why solar + storage is fast to build  

Rising power demand worldwide has underscored  solar and BESS’ distinct  advantage when it comes to manufacturing timelines. Solar panels and lithium-ion batteries aren't tied to the centralized, bottlenecked production process, and a growing base of domestic solar manufacturers means shorter supply lines than other technologies. U.S. solar manufacturing capacity grew more than 700% between 2022 and 2026, from 8 GW to 65 GW, reaching enough capacity in 2025 to meet most domestic demand.³  

Solar panels arrive at the job site ready to install on ground-mount or rooftop racking. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) come pre-assembled in containerized units that need simple anchoring and wiring rather than custom industrial construction. Permitting and interconnection timelines are still unpredictable, but adding storage to an existing solar site avoids the lengthy permitting process a new plant would require.  

"Timelines vary by locality, but we can typically meet demand from a new data center with affordable power at roughly the same time it takes to build the facility," says Kelly Snyder, EVP of Origination for EDP Renewables North America.  

A natural fit for co-ops

Co-ops have played an important role in the United States since they began providing electricity to rural communities 75 years ago. Today co-ops deliver power to about 42 million people across 48 states — roughly 1 in 8 Americans -- and their services have expanded into renewable energy options such as solar and EV charging as well as broadband services.  

Snyder, who worked with electric co-op Great River Energy early in her career, sees hybrid plants as a natural evolution for co-ops: "Solar plus storage projects are a good fit for electric co-ops because they're an efficient way to offer the same safe, reliable, affordable electricity co-ops have provided for generations."  

EDPR NA has been building solar projects for co-op offtake for years across the country including Quilt Block Wind, Rail Splitter Wind, and Mohave Solar Energy Array. To learn more about clean energy solutions in development and ready for offtake today, click here.