A big name is making a big investment in solar power in Virginia.
On Thursday, Microsoft announced it is buying 315 megawatts of new solar from the commonwealth — the largest corporate solar agreement in the United States, according to the company. It will be from a planned site in Spotsylvania County.
The deal will help fuel the larger solar project there. The Pleinmont project is owned and will be operated by sPower.
In all, the site will produce 500 megawatts — equivalent to the amount of solar power being produced right now in all of Virginia, according to Microsoft.
“Microsoft’s participation is a game-changer for this project and for other buyers,” said Ryan Creamer, CEO of sPower, in a statement. “Their early commitment helped ensure that the project continued to move forward and come to fruition at a time of regulatory uncertainty. Microsoft’s large off-take also helped us offer very cost-competitive options for other buyers looking at our Virginia portfolios.”
Microsoft said it will be the largest solar project in the state and the fifth largest in the country.
“It’s just great news for our environment. It’s also putting people to work in the Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Gov. Ralph Northam. “So it’s really just a win-win situation for all of us.”
Northam said Virginia has been striving to move away from fossil fuels and focus on renewable energy like solar.
Other tech companies like Facebook and Amazon have also made renewable energy a priority.
Northam said this is setting the stage for more opportunities in the future.
“This is about our economy and it’s about protecting our environment,” he said. “We want to help businesses grow in Virginia. We also want to attract new businesses to Virginia and something that is very important to all of them when we talk to them is renewable energy.”
This is Microsoft’s second solar power purchase in Virginia. The first was in 2016.
The company wants to reach 60 percent solar by 2020.
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