Apple has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with First Solar for clean energy from their California Flats Solar Project in Monterey, California.
First Solar and Apple, Inc. have closed a deal worth $846 million for clean energy in California.
Apple has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with First Solar for clean energy from their California Flats Solar Project in Monterey, California.
“Apple is leading the way in addressing climate change by showing how large companies can serve their operations with 100 percent clean, renewable energy,” said Joe Kishkill, chief commercial officer for First Solar.
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This P.P.A. with Apple is the largest agreement in the industry to provide clean energy to a commercial end user. It is also the first wholesale commercial and industrial P.P.A. for First Solar.
First Solar is developing the California Flats Solar Project which is owned by their subsidiary, California Flats Solar LLC. The plant will have a total generating capacity of 280 MW, enough to serve the needs of 100,000 average homes and displacing over 109,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.
Under the terms of the P.P.A., Apple will receive electricity from 130 MW of the project. The output of the remaining 150 MW of the project will be sold to Pacific Gas and Electric under another, separate P.P.A.
Construction on the California Flats Solar Project is expected to begin by mid-2015 and be completed by the end of 2016.
“Apple’s commitment was instrumental in making this project possible and will significantly increase the supply of solar power in California. Over time, the renewable energy from California Flats will provide cost savings over alternative sources of energy as well as substantially lower environmental impact,” said Mr. Kishkill.
According to a Reuter’s report, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said that the power from the California Flats project would be used in Apple’s new campus in Silicon Valley as well as its other offices and stores in the state. It will also power an Apple data center in Newark, California. – EcoSeed Staff
