Energy solutions provider Constellation announced that an agreement is in place to help PepsiCo, McCormick & Company, Best Buy and ViacomCBS’ KTVT and KTXA TV stations power their operations with clean, renewable energy from the 200-MW Big Star Solar Project, currently under development in Bastrop County, Texas. Big Star is expected to reach commercial operation in the second quarter of 2022.
Major customer commitments resulted in Constellation’s agreement to purchase power and project-specific renewable energy certificates (RECs) equal to a 140-MW section of Big Star. Each customer has signed an equivalent long-term agreement with Constellation to receive energy and RECs from the Big Star project as part of their retail electric supply contract. RWE Renewables, one the world’s leading renewable energy companies, is building the solar project, which is expected to reach commercial operation by Q2 2022.
“This deal demonstrates the collective positive impact made possible by customers who share an authentic commitment to addressing climate change and reducing their respective carbon footprints,” said Jim McHugh, CEO, Constellation. “We take pride in providing a clean energy solution that helps leading companies such as these take proactive steps to meeting their environmental goals through renewable supply.”
“As one of the world’s leading renewable energy companies, we are committed to contributing to the energy transition and helping power the U.S. economy,” said Silvia Ortín, CEO, Onshore Wind and PV, RWE Renewables. “Our Big Star solar facility is well-placed to provide Constellation and its major commercial customers with a supply of green energy for their operations.”
To simplify the purchase, each of the customers will use the Constellation Offsite Renewables (CORe) retail power product, which increases businesses’ access to new-build 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 such as these, Constellation is able to offer more customers access to the economic and sustainability benefits of large-scale, offsite renewable energy projects. The 10-year customer agreements begin in 2022.
News item from Constellation
Solarman says
““This deal demonstrates the collective positive impact made possible by customers who share an authentic commitment to addressing climate change and reducing their respective carbon footprints,” said Jim McHugh, CEO, Constellation. “We take pride in providing a clean energy solution that helps leading companies such as these take proactive steps to meeting their environmental goals through renewable supply.””
Dig through archives and find articles written on alternative energy, solar PV, wind generation 20 years ago and a different picture forms. News papers of the time had many articles of letters to the editor, where the responses were from, “doesn’t pencil out”, snake oil, boondoggle, were often replies. Go back about 15 years and the claim of, “doesn’t pencil out”, remained the top argument against one paying it forward and installing solar PV on their home’s roof. It was about this time the rote IOU electric utilities realized, this was more than a consumer fad, kind of like the hula-hoop and pet rock. So, the electric utility driven (ROI) became the apostle of the “doesn’t pencil out”, crowd. Then the utilities pushed the “pack your bags we’re going on a guilt trip”, phase of their easy ‘mouth off’ programs. “If your neighbor installs solar PV on their home, your electric bill will go up.” The next whiney didactic, “When your neighbor installs solar PV, (they) do not pay their “fair share” of O&M costs.” None of these have any mention or hint at the “avoided costs” the Utility doesn’t have to pay and none of that savings is being “shared” with the non-solar rate payers.
Now one has corporations seeking their own PPA or alternative energy generation system to meet their energy needs for their manufacturing and distribution process. Even at this level, many are proffering, this is the right thing to do, remediating climate change and carbon foot prints. The reason this wasn’t done in the 1970’s was out right costs for energy to run the business. Now a manufacturer can sign a long term PPA or build their own solar PV and energy storage system cheaper than the utility can service their manufacturing facility(s). Really, demand charges, fuel charges, TD&D rates and fees, TOU rate spiking periods and in some instances tiered block rate electricity pricing and now at least in California the onerous PSPS that not only (may) save lives during storm events, but also kills commerce in the area or region affected by the PSPS. The question then becomes, just how many PSPS events can the company “ride through” until it affects the bottom line and makes one’s own micro-grid look better and better all of the time? That’s where we are in history right now. Whaaa, whaaaaa, whaaaaaaa, “what’s the ROI?”, whaaaaaaaaaa, up front costs. Every time the rote IOU Utility creates another TOU rate period, files for an electricity rate increase for “lost revenues” or “stranded assets”, it is another circular turn of the utility death spiral.