Pleasant Valley Solar project partners are contributing to two scholarships to help boost community workforce needs and bolster energy labor market.
Matrix Renewables and rPlus Energies announced the commissioning of Pleasant Valley Solar 1, reportedly the largest operational solar facility in Idaho’s Power system.
The 200 MW project includes an energy services agreement with Meta and Idaho Power and will provide electricity to run Meta’s nearby data center.
According to Luigi Resta, president and CEO of rPlus Energies, the original project developer, development of the project began in 2021. Groundbreaking took place in 2023, after which time rPlus sold the project to Matrix and retained a minority interest. Sundt Renewables, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services provider, completed construction on Mar. 2, 2025. Approximately 220 workers were employed during the construction period.
The project was financed by a construction-to-term loan of $283 million and a production tax credit (PTC) transfer agreement with a property/casualty insurance company as the tax credit buyer and Stonehenge Capital as the tax credit servicer.
The project features solar modules from ET Solar, a Chinese solar manufacturer, mounted on trackers from Nextracker, a U.S.-based provider.
In support of the area community, Pleasant Valley Solar project partners, Matrix Renewables, rPlus Energies, Sundt Construction, EliTe Solar and Idaho Power announced a commitment of $123,000 to both the College of Western Idaho and Boise State University for two scholarships. The Local First Scholarship supports students in counties where rPlus Energies constructs its projects, aiming to keep talent local and develop community workforce needs. The Energy First Scholarship focuses on students pursuing careers in the energy sector, providing partial tuition scholarships for degrees in engineering, environmental or construction programs at local universities.
The Pleasant Valley 2 solar facility, expected to be completed in 2026, will add another 200 MW to Idaho’s 1 GW of installed solar.
