Solar

Where renewable energy is sited can have an outsized impact on clean power goals

Where renewable energy is sited can have an outsized impact on clean power goals

Corporations have been the driving force behind the rapid deployment of renewable energy in the U.S. over the last decade.

Through power purchase agreements, corporations match their annual energy consumption with energy generated by renewable energy projects.

Innovative agreements, like hour-by-hour clean energy matching, aim to go provide additional decarbonization benefits that go beyond the traditional PPA.

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Electric vehicle maker Rivian and Clearloop, a Silicon Ranch subsidiary, now says they are taking on a clean energy procurement journey of their own. Under the plan, Rivian will procure its first megawatt of clean electricity from a solar farm purposely sited on one of the country’s dirtiest grids.

The Paris Solar Farm – Puryear is the first installation in Henry County, Tennessee, about 100 miles east of Nashville. The project aimed to displace the most coal and natural gas possible with its siting.

Tennessee’s grid is powered by just 0.4% solar, and a megawatt-hour of electricity in Tennessee emits around 32% more carbon than a megawatt-hour in Northern California, according to WattTime.

“We’re arriving at a point where we need to evolve our approaches in order to truly decarbonize the nation’s entire grid,” said Laura Zapata, Clearloop co-founder and CEO. “Clearloop is opening up a new solar financing mechanism that focuses on the carbon impacts rather than the megawatt-hours.”

The 6.75 MW solar project was kickstarted by Rivian’s financing of 1 MW of capacity, which is intended cover electricity used by Rivian Waypoints chargers. Those charge points are planned for Tennessee state parks as well as to address other clean energy commitments in the region.

Rivian said it aims to achieve Scopes 1 and 2 carbon neutrality by 2028, and in categories within Scope 3 by 2032.

The company is building charging networks across the U.S. and Canada and plans to match every kilowatt-hour Rivian owners drive with renewable energy purchases on an annual basis – whether vehicles are charged at home, a Rivian charging network charger or at a partner network charging site.