Charging network provider Electrify America has broken ground on a new 75-MW solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation project in San Bernardino County, California.
According to the company, the project, called Electrify America Solar Glow 1, was announced in 2022 and is the outcome of a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with developer Terra-Gen.
The solar facility is expected to generate 75 MW at peak solar capacity, which is equivalent to an estimated annual production of 225,000 MWh.
“The groundbreaking of Electrify America Solar Glow 1 is an important step towards additional annual renewable energy generation comparable to the energy used by over 20,000 American homes annually,” said Jigar Shah, Head of Energy Services at Electrify America.
Although the facility is not expected to be operational until late summer, Electrify America says all energy supplied to consumers on its coast-to-coast public, ultra-fast DC charging network is already 100 percent renewable.
The company adds that it has committed to a net-zero carbon footprint for energy supplied to drivers charging on its network through the purchase of environmental certificates and an interim VPPA with Terra-Gen’s existing Solar Energy Generating Systems IX solar thermal plant, effectively addressing Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions.
The firm expects its investment in the new solar facility will help avoid approximately 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions over a 15-year period, which is equivalent to the carbon sequestered by planting nearly 40 million trees.
Electrify America, started by the Volkswagen Group of America about six years ago, is an open DC fast charging network based in Reston, Virginia. The company and its subsidiary Electrify Canada expect to have more than 1,800 total charging stations with over 10,000 individual chargers in the U.S. and Canada combined by 2026.
Terra-Gen is a U.S. developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale renewable energy projects in North America. It owns approximately 1.7 GW of wind, solar and energy storage capacity in operation across 26 renewable power facilities throughout the country.
