Southern Power, a Southern Co. subsidiary, has acquired a 51% controlling interest in the 200 MW Garland solar facility under construction in California from Recurrent Energy, Canadian Solar Inc.'s subsidiary.
Recurrent Energy is constructing the project on two sites totaling roughly 2,000 acres in California's Kern County, where Southern Power owns three other solar projects. The company says this facility will consist of more than 800,000 polycrystalline PV solar modules mounted on single-axis tracking tables.
The Garland facility is expected to reach commercial operations at the end of 2016 – at which point, it's expected to generate enough energy to power the equivalent of 45,000 homes. The electricity and associated renewable energy credits (RECs) generated will be sold under two long-term power purchase agreements with Southern California Edison, which will have the option to keep or sell the RECs.
Recurrent Energy will retain the remaining interest in the project.
