Canadian Solar Inc. revealed on Nov. 3 that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Recurrent Energy LLC, is currently constructing the 28 MWac Maplewood 2 Solar Project for Energy Transfer, a Dallas-based Fortune 100 midstream energy company.
Maplewood 2 is located in Pecos County in the Permian Basin of West Texas, and will deliver low-cost, clean power to Energy Transfer under a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). This PPA marks Energy Transfer’s first-ever dedicated solar contract.
“The Maplewood 2 Solar Project is our third project to be constructed in Texas, bringing our total to more than 385 MWac of low-cost clean solar projects built in the Lone Star State. We are pleased that this project is now under construction, as it brings us that much closer to delivering low-cost, clean power to Energy Transfer,” Dr. Shawn Qu, chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar, said.
Texas has led the production of energy since the discovery of the Spindletop oil field in 1901. The state’s geography and natural resources, skilled labor force, and internal competitive power market, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), give it an energy advantage. According to a report by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association, Texas ranks 4th in the U.S. for solar installed, with enough solar capacity to power more than 640,000 homes, and is poised to become a nationwide leader with more than 4 GW of capacity expected to be installed over the next five years.
“The Maplewood 2 Solar Project demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint by integrating alternative energy sources when economically beneficial,” Mackie McCrea, president and chief commercial officer of Energy Transfer, said. “While we currently use a diversified mix of energy sources along with emission-reducing technologies to operate our assets, this project marks a new milestone for us as our first dedicated solar-powered facility.”
The Maplewood 2 Solar Project is estimated to be in operation in first-quarter 2021.
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