Electrify America inks VPPA to back 75 MWp of California solar

US electric mobility company Electrify America LLC has signed a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with renewables developer Terra-Gen to support the construction of a new 75-MWp solar PV farm in California.

The firm, which operates an electric vehicle (EV) charging network, said that Terra-Gen will build its Electrify America Solar Glow 1 PV plant in San Bernandino County, and may potentially add co-located battery energy storage to it.

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Once it starts operation, which is expected to occur in by mid-2023, the solar farm will be capable of generating some 225 GWh per year. According to Electrify America, this would be enough to more than offset the power that is currently delivered to EV drivers using its charging network.

Electrify America is also changing its approach to purchasing environmental certificates. In an effort to support additional renewable energy generation, the company will switch to buying bundled environmental certificates and move away from purchasing unbundled credits from third-party suppliers.

Electrify America’s charging network is already powered by 100% renewables thanks to the purchase of environmental certificates from existing renewable energy generation. While waiting for the new PV farm to go live, the mobility company will further benefit from an interim VPPA it signed with Terra-Gen through which it will receive bundled environmental certificates and renewable power from Terra-Gen’s existing SEGS IX solar thermal power plant in San Bernandino.

The interim VPPA is effective October 2022.