Recurrent Energy LLC – Canadian Solar’s U.S. project development arm – has inked two separate power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Energy Transfer and Anheuser-Busch for its Maplewood solar project portfolio in Pecos County, Texas.
The PPA with Energy Transfer, a Dallas-based Fortune 100 oil and gas pipeline company, represents Energy Transfer’s first-ever dedicated solar contract, according to Recurrent. The 28 MW AC deal, which has a duration of 15 years, is for the Maplewood 2 project.
“The PPA made economic sense for us,” says David Coker, vice president of power optimization at Energy Transfer. “We are always focused on operating our facilities safely and efficiently, and while we mainly rely on electrical energy powered by natural gas, we do use a diversified mix of energy sources when it makes economic sense to do so. In fact, the percentage of electrical energy we purchase that originates from solar and wind sources is now more than 20 percent on any given day with the addition of this contract with Recurrent Energy.”
Recurrent’s 15-year PPA with Anheuser-Busch is for the Maplewood solar project. The 222 MW AC contract represents the seventh-largest commercial and industrial (C&I) PPA for solar energy signed globally to date, claims Recurrent, citing data from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The deal also represents the U.S. beverage industry’s largest single purchase of solar energy, according to Recurrent.
“We take immense pride in being good stewards of the environment and are excited to announce that by 2021, our entire portfolio of beers will be brewed by using 100 percent renewable electricity from solar and wind power,” says Ingrid De Ryck, vice president of procurement and sustainability at Anheuser-Busch.
“The signing of this power purchase agreement with Anheuser-Busch, the U.S. beer industry leader, demonstrates Canadian Solar’s ability to meet the needs of a diverse array of corporate customers,” comments Dr. Shawn Wu, chairman of Canadian Solar. “We’re honored to supply affordable clean energy to a C&I customer base spanning the sectors of academia, transportation, traditional energy, and now food and beverage.”
Located in West Texas near the towns of Fort Stockton and McCamey, the Maplewood and Maplewood 2 solar projects are sited on approximately 2,200 acres. Once operational by 2021, the facilities are expected to generate enough energy for the equivalent of approximately 62,000 homes.
Thank you for this helpful article! It’s great to read about the progress being made in Texas!