Project signals the need for optimizers and coordinated dispatch strategies as solar + storage portfolios scale

Habitat Energy announced its first U.S. co-located solar + storage partnership, working with Birch Creek to co-optimize its solar and battery operations behind a shared point of interconnection in ERCOT’s South Zone.

For the Bee County, Texas, asset, Habitat has achieved the Production Load Date (PLD) with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas on behalf of Birch Creek and is now in the early stages of commissioning. Solar commercial operations are expected in August 2026, with the battery expected to follow in October 2026.

As the project’s Qualified Scheduling Entity (QSE), Habitat is responsible for representing power injected and withdrawn from the site beginning at PLD. During commissioning, Habitat is also supporting telemetry alignment, validating data flows to ERCOT, and building the trading framework that will govern live operations.

The project represents an early operational example of co-located solar and storage optimization in ERCOT’s rapidly scaling hybrid market. Sharing a point of interconnection means the assets must be coordinated in real time. During peak solar hours, the battery can absorb excess generation while positioning for price volatility later in the day. Managing that interaction requires integrated weather and price forecasting, disciplined risk management, tools for congestion management, and a platform capable of co-optimizing between two assets at a node within ERCOT’s RTC+B environment.

“Consistent responses to market signals are essential to both asset performance and grid stability in ERCOT,” said Fred Short, Director of Commercial Strategy at Birch Creek. “Working with Habitat to optimize dispatch decisions will help ensure the Honeycomb project delivers the full value of the clean energy it generates and stores to the market and the surrounding community.”

Once fully operational, Habitat will co-optimize solar and battery revenues, forecasting weather-driven output, managing energy price and basis risk around solar generation hours, firming positions with the battery, and maximizing value across the full daily dispatch profile.

“Co-locating solar and storage improves the economics of both assets, but it also raises the bar for operational sophistication,” said Mike Kirschner, U.S. Managing Director at Habitat Energy. “Our platform is built to manage that complexity, optimizing solar DART strategies alongside battery operations while respecting POI constraints.”

This Birch Creek partnership reflects the continued evolution of integrated renewable operations in ERCOT.

About Habitat Energy
Habitat Energy is a global leader in battery storage optimization, trading, and operational excellence. Habitat’s proprietary forecasting and algorithmic bidding platform, combined with its team of experienced traders and asset managers, unlocks full value from assets while managing operational and market risks. The company manages over 3 GW of storage assets worldwide across ERCOT, the UK and Australia. Visit https://habitat.energy/.

About Birch Creek
Founded in 2019, Birch Creek Energy is a utility-scale solar and storage developer, financier, and independent power producer with over 14.2 GW of active solar and storage development pipeline across MISO, PJM, ERCOT, and the U.S. Southeast. For more information, visit birchcreekdev.com.

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