Yingli Green Energy obtained ratified connection capacity for 350 MWac for a hybrid PV + BESS project in Colombia.
This milestone places the asset at a more mature stage within the pipeline, as it reduces technical uncertainty, improves the risk profile, and strengthens its bankability before reaching construction.
“It involves the elimination of one of the main structural risks of the project: network access at a high-voltage node,” said Angélica Ferreira Piñeiro, Business Development Manager – Utility Scale Projects LATAM at Yingli.
Capacity ratification ensures the feasibility of energy evacuation and streamlines the financial structuring of the asset. For a project of this scale, the grid ceases to be a secondary requirement and becomes a central condition for moving towards Ready-to-Build.
“The project is structured as a hybrid asset that combines solar generation and BESS, allowing it to evolve from an intermittent profile to a manageable and more stable one,” the executive stated.
This leap is crucial for Colombia , where the energy conversation increasingly incorporates reliability, ancillary services, firm energy, and time-of-use signals. Storage becomes an operational and monetization tool, not just a technological component added to the solar park.
It is relevant to mention that, according to the latest government reports, the country reached 4 GW in clean energy and reached 17.09% of the national electricity matrix , while it advances with regulatory discussions and tenders that incorporate storage and time-of-use products.
Yingli's project incorporated a hub-like logic , concentrating capacity at a single connection point to improve efficiency in infrastructure, operation, and interconnection. This design aims to reduce network-related capital expenditures (CAPEX) and leverage economies of scale in a utility-scale asset.
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The decision stemmed from a specific market problem: having photovoltaic resources and available land is no longer enough to guarantee competitiveness. Developments must optimize critical infrastructure, reduce connection costs, streamline their operation, and maintain a robust financial case.
“The sizing of the storage system has been defined considering the maximization of value in the Colombian market, particularly through energy arbitrage, firm energy obligations and the provision of complementary services,” explained Ferreira Piñeiro.
The 2026 auction was also aligned with this new logic, as the incorporation of storage and time-of-use products opens up a more suitable environment for projects that integrate renewable generation and manageable capacity.
For Ferreira Piñeiro, this type of scheme proved key to making hybrid assets viable, as it allows capturing the value of flexibility and supporting the move towards a more resilient and efficient matrix.
From the connection to Ready-to-Build
The project still has several milestones to reach before it can be considered Ready-to-Build. Yingli acknowledged that the asset is in the structuring stage, with ongoing environmental and financial closing processes.
The difference is that it has already overcome one of the most significant barriers for any large-scale development: grid access. With its connection capacity confirmed, the project has a more solid foundation for discussions with financiers, buyers, and other stakeholders in the electricity system.
The design also incorporated a focus on efficient land use. The company integrated energy generation with complementary productive activities, an approach that strengthens the asset's resilience and unlocks additional sources of value.
This territorial dimension broadens the interpretation of the project: the development is not limited to producing electricity from a PV site , but combines connection, BESS, operational optimization, land use and associated potential income.
Yingli observed that this need for stability accelerates the development of hybrid projects even in markets where the regulatory framework is not yet fully consolidated. In many cases, the operational pressure of the system is advancing faster than regulation.