British solar developer Lightsource bp has switched on its 173 MW DC/152.5 MW AC solar power plant in Indiana state of the US with American wireless network operator Verizon entering a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for the same to reduce its carbon emissions.
Through this project, Verizon hopes to inch closer to its 2035 target to become carbon neutral in its operations as Lightsource says the farm will offset an equivalent of 202,000 metric tons (MT) CO2 emissions annually. Verizon announced the VPPA in 2021 (see Verizon's RE Purchase Agreements Reach Nearly 1.7 GW).
Commissioned by EPC contractor SOLV Energy, the Bellflower Solar Project uses over 377,000 First Solar modules and Array Technologies trackers. It is expected to generate $30 million in property tax revenue to Rush and Henry Counties during its operational life.
Additionally, Lightsource says the project is part of a research work by the University of Illinois Chicago, the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, the Argonne National Laboratory, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory that aims to ascertain the ecological benefits of pollinator habitat at utility scale solar.
The developer has planted several native species, beneficial for pollinators and other wildlife on 800 acres of land under and around solar panels, while an additional 10 acres is devoted to lush pollinator gardens with over 60 different types of flowering plants.
Verizon has also signed up for another Lightsource bp project with 89.9 MW capacity in the US (see Verizon Signs Up For 910 MW RE).