US outfit First Solar has signed two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with community choice aggregators (CCAs) Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE).
Under the PPAs, both CCAs will buy electricity from First Solar’s 100MW Rabbitbrush solar farm in Kern County, California.
Rabbitbrush is scheduled to be completed in the second quarter of 2022 and will also feature 20MW of battery storage capacity.
The project will be powered by First Solar’s thin film module technology.
First Solar chief commercial officer Georges Antoun said: “The fast-growing CCA segment, with its base of environmentally conscious consumers, aligns well with our inherent emphasis on sustainability and our mission to lead the world’s sustainable energy future.
“As America’s solar company, we are pleased to support MBCP and SVCE in powering communities with solar energy that is not only cost-competitive, reliable and efficient, but also has a superior environmental profile.”
MBCP chief executive Tom Habashi said: “We are delighted to partner with First Solar to add to our growing solar generation and battery storage portfolio.
“Responsibly developed to minimise its impact on the ecosystem, and powered by the most eco-efficient solar technology available today, this project mirrors our own commitments to sustainability and the communities we serve.”
SVCE chief executive Girish Balachandran said: “We are thrilled that Rabbitbrush Solar will help deliver clean electricity to Santa Clarans with photovoltaic technology that was developed in Santa Clara by First Solar.
“Our customers have made an important choice in selecting carbon-free energy, and we are looking forward to adding this project to our long-term efforts to cut energy-related emissions in line with our decarbonisation commitments.”
SVCE provides renewable electricity to 13 communities in Santa Clara County, while MBCP sources clean electricity for the Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz counties, as well as parts of San Luis Obispo county.