AnonymousSource: CCCE
Leeward Renewable Energy, Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE) and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE), [last week] announced that construction has commenced on the Rabbitbrush Solar project located in Kern County, California. Leeward previously signed two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with CCCE and SVCE.
McCarthy Building Companies, a national construction company serving as EPC (Engineer, Procure, Contractor) on the solar project, has initiated construction for the 100-megawatt (MW) Rabbitbrush facility, which also includes a 20 MW, 50 MWh battery energy storage system – bolstering the resiliency and reliability of the California energy grid. The project will consist of over 415,000 First Solar thin-film photovoltaic modules.
The Rabbitbrush Solar Project will bring significant economic investment to Kern County, including benefits for local businesses. It is expected to generate roughly 300 new union jobs secured under a project labor agreement, during construction, as well as long-term operations jobs. When fully operational, Rabbitbrush will generate enough clean solar energy to serve the needs of nearly 40,000 homes per year, displacing approximately 48,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually—the equivalent of taking 10,500 cars with internal combustion engines off the road.
“Starting construction on the Rabbitbrush facility is a monumental milestone for Leeward and is the first solar project we have constructed since integrating First Solar’s solar development platform in early 2021, with many more ahead,” said Jason Allen, Leeward’s Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to partner with not-for-profit, community-owned electricity providers SVCE and CCCE to deliver clean, reliable renewable power to their customers and play a key role in advancing California’s zero carbon energy goals.”
“With our shared commitment to environmental standards as we accelerate California’s clean energy transition, we are excited to partner with Leeward and Silicon Valley Clean Energy on the California Rabbitbrush Solar Project,” shares Tom Habashi, CEO of Central Coast Community Energy. “This solar + storage project reaffirms CCCE’s goal of sourcing renewable energy on behalf of the Central Coast.”
“This project will contribute significantly to displacing greenhouse gas emissions, while providing clean energy jobs to Californians,” said Girish Balachandran, SVCE CEO. “Leeward and SVCE’s vision for this project align closely with our mission of providing communities with affordable, renewable electricity, while also helping to reliably transition to a clean grid.”
Construction on the Rabbitbrush Solar Project is expected to be completed by end of July 2022 and the facility is estimated to begin operation by the end of August 2022.
CCCE and SVCE are California Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs), procuring clean, renewable electricity and providing decarbonization program funding to 670,000 customers. As a new solar-plus-storage facility, the Rabbitbrush project will help the CCAs achieve their part of a recent order for the state to build at least 11.5 GW of new resources by 2026 (CPUC D.21-06-035).
This is why getting your own battery storage and disconnecting from the grid is so appealing. Even if your system breaks down, worst case you can borrow or rent a generator until it’s repaired, or by then get power from your EV to keep the fridge and minimal appliances running. No SCE bill would be grand!