Back in January, Electrify America announced plans to build a huge solar photovoltaic project in California’s Mojave Desert that would generate more than enough energy to offset the energy delivered to the company’s EV charging customers.

Now Electrify America has announced the start of commercial operation for the new 75 Megawatt (MW) Electrify America Solar Glow 1 solar photovoltaic renewable energy generation project. Solar Glow 1 is the result of a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with developer Terra-Gen.

EA says it already gets all its energy from renewable sources. However, with the construction of this new power plant, the company is adding new renewable energy generation (additionality), not just using already-existing generation.

The Solar Glow 1 project features over 200,000 solar panels and encompasses an area of over one square mile. It is expected to generate 75 MW at peak capacity, which is comparable to the power drawn by 500 EVs charging at once at an average speed of 150 kW. Total annual production is projected at 225 GWh.

“We expect the demand on our charging network to continue to rise with the increase in EV ownership,” said Jigar Shah, Director of Energy Services at Electrify America. “Solar Glow 1 adds new additional 100% renewable energy generation with estimated annual production that exceeds our 2022 network usage.”

“This solar project is a significant accomplishment, reinforcing our commitment in 2022 to back all energy delivered to customers on Electrify America’s coast-to-coast public, ultra-fast DC charging network with 100% renewable energy,” said Robert Barrosa, CEO of Electrify America.

Source: Electrify America