Energy Procurement, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  November 10, 2016

Kaiser Permanente touts California solar PPA

Marking a step toward Kaiser Permanente's goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2025,  the health care company on Nov. 10 helped commission a California solar facility from which it has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement. 

The Blythe Solar Energy Center in Riverside County, Calif., was built and is owned by NextEra Energy Resources; Kaiser Permanente has agreed to purchase 110 MW of the solar facility's generation, which is expected to reduce the company's greenhouse gas emissions by more than 15%, according to a news release.

Kaiser Permanente said its involvement with the solar facility is part of the company's long-term environmental stewardship goals. Among those goals is to become "carbon net positive" by 2025 by buying enough clean energy and carbon offsets to remove more carbon emissions from the atmosphere than the organization emits. 

"Climate change is inextricably linked to the health of our communities," Kathy Gerwig, Kaiser Permanente's environmental stewardship officer, said in a statement. "Increased rates of asthma and other lung ailments, economically crippling droughts and the trauma of extreme weather events are some examples of the impacts we're already seeing. As a health care provider, we must be a leader in eliminating practices that can negatively impact environmental and human health."

Share this valuable information with your colleagues using the buttons below: