PPG, a global manufacturer of paints, coatings and specialty materials, has signed an agreement with Constellation, an energy solutions provider, in which PPG will power its Carrollton, Texas, paint manufacturing facility with renewable energy from the 200 MW Big Star Solar Project. The project is currently under development in Bastrop County, Texas.
Through a 10-year agreement, PPG will receive energy and project-specific renewable energy certificates (RECs) from Big Star as a part of their retail electricity supply contract with Constellation. The deal is made possible by a separate long-term agreement between Constellation and project developer RWE Renewables under which Constellation will purchase a 140 MW portion of the energy generated by Big Star to supply several large commercial customers.
The solar project is expected to achieve commercial operation by Q2 2022. PPG will procure approximately 4.6 million kWh of energy per year from Big Star.
“At PPG, one of our 2025 sustainability goals is to increase renewable energy to 25% of total electricity usage, exclusive of greenhouse gas reductions,” says Diane Kappas, PPG’s vice president of global sustainability. “Our collaboration with Constellation will allow us to contribute to that goal, with the intent to expand renewable energy at other PPG locations across the U.S.”
To simplify the purchase, PPG will use the Constellation Offsite Renewables (CORe) retail power product, which increases businesses’ access to renewable energy projects by removing the significant hurdles associated with traditional offsite power purchase agreements (PPAs).
By combining the simplified contracting and aggregation process of CORe with the commitment and involvement from sustainability-minded companies, Constellation is able to offer more customers access to the economic and sustainability benefits of large-scale, offsite renewable energy projects.
“We commend PPG on taking proactive measures to reduce its carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment,” states Mark Huston, president of Constellation’s National Retail Business. “We’re pleased to offer this clean energy solution as a means to enable major commercial customers like PPG to deliver on their sustainability goals.”
