North America Solar PV News Snippets

Ørsted secures Bloomberg contract for Mockingbird Solar Center; First Solar announces Ohio distribution center; Exus North America to buy 625 MW from AEP & PNM; Scale Microgrids to acquire 500 MW distributed solar & storage portfolio; Soltec launches new tracker for US market. 

Bloomberg goes for solar power: The US presence of Denmark's Ørsted has signed a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Bloomberg for 80 MW out of a 471 MW solar power plant in Texas. Bloomberg is the 4th corporate offtaker for this project along with Covestro and Royal DSM, said Ørsted. The latter said this PPA brings the Mockingbird Solar Center to a fully contracted status for the entire 471 MW capacity. A member of the RE100 commitment, Bloomberg secured 192,533 MWh of renewable energy from 11 projects in 2022, representing 54.6% of its global purchased electricity. Bloomberg expects additional renewable energy sourced from the Mockingbird project to cover 100% of its US electricity usage and 80% of the global electricity usage. 

Currently under construction near Paris, the Mockingbird Solar Center is Ørsted's largest US solar project. It is also the company's 1st project to incorporate conservation efforts to preserve native tallgrass prairie adjacent to the project under an agreement with The Nature Conservancy (TNC) (see North America PV News Snippets). 

First Solar's Ohio distribution center: First Solar has acquired a 1.2 million sq. ft. facility in Ohio's Troy Township to turn it into a new distribution center for the module manufacturer. Previously known as Peloton Output Park, the facility will serve the company's Ohio manufacturing output from 3 factories with a combined nameplate capacity of close to 6 GW at the end of 2023. It will ensure efficient and timely shipping of modules to the customers, said First Solar's Chief Supply Chain Officer Mike Koralewski. He said this will help the company streamline its logistics operations and reduce operating costs. 

625 MW solar changes hands: Renewable energy assets manager and developer Exus North America Holdings has acquired a 625 MW portfolio of 15 solar projects from American Electric Power (AEP) and PNM Resources. The $230 million deal is expected to close in February 2024. The 625 MW New Mexico Renewable Development (NMRD) portfolio includes 9 operational solar projects with a combined 185 MW capacity, along with 6 projects with 440 MW capacity under development.  

500 MW distributed PV deal: Vertically integrated distributed energy platform Scale Microgrids is set to acquire 500 MW of distributed solar and storage projects in the US under a definitive agreement with Gutami, Inc. It entails Gutami to develop this capacity that will then be acquired, financed and owned by Scale. All of these projects will be distributed across multiple states including California and New York.  

Soltec's new inverter: Spanish solar tracker manufacturer Soltec has launched a new tracker saying it is specially designed for the American market. The SF7 USA Solar Tracker is an improved version of its SF7 trackers that aims to cut installation processes in the field, reduce pile counts and other parts and pieces. It says this helps streamline the design to achieve a lower cost and also ensure faster installation. The new product incorporates SF7's applicability in areas with irregular slopes and space constraints, the company added. Diffuse Booster technology is another feature of the new launch that Soltec said maximizes production and allows for optimal energy generation, even on cloudy days, by capturing diffuse radiation. It also includes a Soltec-designed algorithm for hail defense, the manufacturer shared, to better protect modules. In November 2023, Soltec launched the SFOne tracker, especially designed for the US market. Pointing to its 'manufacturing capabilities' in the US, Soltec said both these products can be produced locally.