Sourcing Renewables | Page 229

Apple, Akamai, Etsy and Swiss Re announced on August 6 an agreement to develop two new wind and solar energy farms in Illinois and Virginia. Spearheaded by Apple, the new projects will generate 290 megawatts to the PJM electric grid serving much of the Eastern U.S.

As wind and solar systems continue to expand, the amount of electricity being generated is outstripping demand during certain hours of the day, resulting in power prices falling to zero or even below in more jurisdictions.

It's the weekend! Kick back and relax with these must-read energy stories from around the web:

NJ Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp., an affiliate of Novartis, has signed a virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) with Invenergy for 100 megawatts of wind power from their Santa Rita East wind farm, located west of San Angelo, Texas.

Facebook has signed a 15-year PPA for 139 MW of power from the Headwaters II Wind Farm in Randolph County, Indiana. The wind farm, operated by EDP Renewables, SA, produces a total of 200 MW and is expected to be operational in 2020.

This case study, presented by Edison Energy, powered by Altenex, details the renewables efforts made by Bloomberg L.P. — from their initial procurement of RECs in 2007 to a commitment to source 100% of electricity from renewable sources by 2025.

J.M. Smucker announced on August 1 that it has signed a long-term PPA with Lincoln Clean Energy (LCE) for 60 megawatts (MW) of the utility-scale 230 MW Plum Creek Wind Project in Wayne County, Nebraska. Starting in 2020, the wind energy produced from this project will cover approximately 50% of Smucker's total electricity use.v

The Detroit Lions have added solar-powered lights to the parking garage at their Ford Field home as well as their training facility in Allen Park, representing their first foray into solar energy as part of the team’s ongoing sustainability efforts.

Levi Strauss & Co. announced on July 31 a new climate action strategy, which includes a 100% renewable electricity target in company-owned facilities, a 90% reduction in GHG emissions in all owned-and-operated facilities, and a 40% reduction in GHG emissions in its supply chain, all by 2025.