Distributed Generation Partnership In US

• Under a new partnership announced, Google and EDPR NA DG to co-build 650 MW DC/500 MW AC solar capacity in the US
• It will be spread across 6 US states, mainly concentrated in the PJM Interconnection service area for initial projects
• Ohio is one of the states where Google operates a data center campus in New Albany and Google Cloud region in Columbus
• The initiative has been made possible by the IRA incentives, announced the duo
• Projects will mostly be located in LMI income areas with an aim to help bring down their electricity costs

Global technology giant Google and renewables company EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) have announced a partnership to establish more than 80 distributed solar PV projects in the US representing a combined capacity of 650 MW DC/500 MW AC.

According to S&P Global and BloombergNEF data, the duo claims it to be the largest corporate sponsorship of distributed PV in the US.

Initial projects are to come up in Ohio where Google operates a data center campus in New Albany and Google Cloud region in Columbus.

Also, the initial focus under the framework agreement will be on projects in 6 states in the PJM Interconnection service area that extends from New Jersey to Ohio.

These facilities will primarily be located in low-to-moderate (LMI) income areas which they claim will benefit more than 25,000 families with reduced electricity bills.

EDPR NA DG, the distributed generation business of EDPR NA, will be responsible for development, construction and operation of the solar parks. First projects in the portfolio are scheduled to come online by 2024-end. Google plans to partially fund the portfolio through its acquisition of Impact Renewable Energy Certificates (ImpactREC).

"The initiative is made possible partly because of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) passed in 2022, which includes landmark tax incentives for domestic energy production and manufacturing. The ImpactREC™ leverages these incentives to provide direct investment into communities throughout the Midwest and Northeast and enable economic benefits for LMI communities," stated the duo.

The US is a strong market for distributed solar, especially as corporates and residential consumers seek energy independence from high electricity costs and to lower their carbon footprint.

In our recently concluded Virtual Conference on Distributed Solar & Storage, TaiyangNews discussed the latest product trends in the field. A conference summary is available on our website (see TaiyangNews Distributed Solar & Storage Conference).