First Solar Inc. has announced that its Cove Mountain 2 solar plant will support Facebook’s Eagle Mountain Data Center in Utah through a power purchase agreement (PPA) with PacifiCorp’s Rocky Mountain Power (RMP), which is part of Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
The 122 MW AC facility will be built near the town of Enterprise in Iron County, Utah, and is scheduled to begin operations in 2020. It will be constructed near the 58 MW AC Cove Mountain power plant, which will also supply renewable energy for Facebook’s operations.
The new Cove Mountain 2 project will supply solar energy to Facebook under the Schedule 34 Renewable Energy Tariff, which enables customers to work with RMP to meet their clean energy goals by facilitating the construction and contracting of new renewable energy projects.
“This project is an important part of our commitment to support all of our data centers and offices with 100 percent renewable energy in 2020,” says Paul Clements, director of energy and infrastructure at Facebook. “Our data centers are among the most water- and energy-efficient facilities in the world. Working with First Solar and Rocky Mountain Power allows us to ensure that our data center will be supported by new renewable energy resources – like this solar power plant – in the same electrical grid as our data center.”
Once operational, Cove Mountain 2 is expected to generate electricity equivalent to the energy needs of 36,000 average Utah homes, as well as displace 235,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, annually.
“Cove Mountain 2 demonstrates the ability of utility-scale solar to power corporate renewable energy ambitions effectively,” states Karl Brutsaert, senior director of corporate renewables at First Solar. “Combining the commercial and environmental efficiencies of utility-scale solar with a green tariff PPA model allows companies like Facebook to meet their decarbonization commitments while making smart economic decisions.”
The project will be powered by Series 6 modules, manufactured by First Solar in the U.S. The company expects to begin construction in late 2019.
