This edition of Projects Weekly highlights Avangrid placing its largest solar project to date into service. Plus, Lightsource bp energizes a 180 MW project in Louisiana, Vesper Energy to cut the ribbon on 600 MW project, and Onyx Renewables breaks ground on 2.5 MW project at an Illinois water plant. Keep reading to stay up to date on all this in more.
Avangrid Inc. has placed its True North Solar project into commercial operation. Located in in Falls County, Texas, the project plays a dual role in powering U.S. data centers to ensure grid reliability and cementing the state’s position as a leader in domestic energy production.
“With a projected boom in data center construction over the next several years that will significantly increase energy demand, projects like True North are and will be vital to ensuring the resiliency and reliability of the Texas electrical grid,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “Furthermore, these facilities represent new sources of locally produced power that will support the state’s growing economy for decades to come.”
Cool factor: True North is Avangrid’s largest solar project to date, measuring in at 238 MWac / 321 MWdc. Comprised of 488,000 solar panels, the project is delivering electricity to the Texas grid and supporting Meta’s operations, including its upcoming data center in neighboring Temple, its second data center facility in Texas. According to a recent report from the U.S. Department of Energy, data centers could rise to 12% of U.S. power consumption by 2028, roughly three times last year’s level. Projects like this are critical to support this demand growth while ensuring local communities have resilient power for homes and businesses.
True North created about 300 jobs at the peak of construction, most of which were filled by people from the surrounding region. The project represents $369 million in investment in central Texas. It is projected to contribute over $40 million in property taxes throughout its lifetime, directly benefiting public services in Falls County and the surrounding communities, especially schools. True North also supports several permanent, full-time jobs for ongoing operations at the facility.
Avangrid partnered with New Mexico-based Array Technologies to procure solar trackers and worked with EPC firm Black & Veatch to design and construct the True North solar project.
Louisiana solar farm goes online, driving local economic growth
Lightsource bp’s 180 MWdc solar project in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, has entered commercial operation. The $170 million privately funded solar farm serves as a concrete example of the ways investing in homegrown energy delivers real, measurable benefits to local communities and the broader economy.
Located about 30 miles north of Lafayette, Prairie Ronde Solar aims to increase America’s renewable energy dominance, revitalize domestic manufacturing, and drive investment into communities historically reliant on conventional energy sources. The Prairie Ronde solar project features solar equipment sourced from U.S. manufacturers: solar panels from Arizona-based First Solar and smart solar trackers from New Mexico-based Array Technologies.
Cool factor: The Prairie Ronde solar farm will provide a boost of more than $20 million to St. Landry Parish throughout the life of the project. This revenue, including $8.3 million in the first five years after construction begins, will bolster public resources such as local school systems and emergency services. An additional $3.9 million annual operating budget will be spent primarily in the region as well.
In 2023, Lightsource bp established the St. Landry Parish Community Fund as part of its commitment to supporting the communities that are home to its projects. The company collaborates closely with local residents to ensure the fund addresses the community’s most urgent needs, with resources directed toward initiatives focused on education and community development, including a new Welcome Center for the St. Landry Parish Veteran’s Memorial and funding for classroom learning and athletics in the Parish’s schools.
Vesper to cut ribbon on one of the largest single-phase solar projects in the U.S.
Vesper Energy will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 10 to celebrate the commercial operation of its flagship energy project, Hornet Solar, in Swisher County, Texas. The project will contribute more than $100 million in new tax revenue to the county and deliver 600 MWac of energy.
Cool factor: Hornet Solar includes more than 1.36 million modules, spanning more than 6 square miles in Swisher County, making it one of the largest single-phase solar installations in the United States. The project began construction in the fall 2023.
Projected tax benefits include $61.2 million to the Tulia Independent School District, $25.7 million to Swisher County, and $11.9 million to the Swisher County Memorial Hospital in Texas.
N.C.-based CMI Plastics installs solar to offset 50% of its energy needs
Ayden, North Carolina-based CMI Plastics, a third-generation, family-owned business, heeded the call of its customers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by installing a 649 kWdc solar system that will offset 50% of its energy needs.
Cool factor: When the company decided to pursue solar, CMI Plastics managing director Mark Philpott turned to his friend Todd Ahern at The Megawatt Group, a solar module distributor, to recommend North Carolina-based commercial solar companies. Ahern referred Philpott to Asheville-based Pisgah Energy whose team has a combined 50+ years of experience in the renewable energy industry.
“Trust and relationships define our business, which is why I turned to Todd,” Philpott says. “He is a veteran in the solar industry and understood our vision. I felt confident in his recommendations, and it ultimately connected us to the amazing team at Pisgah Energy.”
Pisgah Energy was the lead designer/developer and served as the primary contractor during project construction. The firm worked closely with CMI Plastics to design, develop and install the rooftop solar project on their manufacturing facility. This system, totaling 649 kWdc, sporting 1,128 Trina Solar 575 W panels and four SolarEdge Inverters, will serve as on-site electrical generation and produce over 899,000 kWh of renewable energy annually.
In addition to implementing energy efficiency upgrades and waste reduction practices at its facility in Ayden, CMI Plastics was certified as a Sustainable Green Printing Partnership facility in 2024, the first thermoforming-focused company to earn that certification. The new solar system adds to the company’s sustainability practices.
2.5 MW solar project kicks off at Illinois wastewater plant
Onyx Renewables celebrated the groundbreaking of a 2.5 MW onsite solar project on March 19, with Sol Systems, the initial project developer, and Verde Solutions, the engineering and construction company for the project, marking the start of major upgrades at an Urbana and Champaign Sanitary District (UCSD) wastewater treatment facility in Illinois.
Onyx will complete development, oversee construction, finance, own, and operate the system, providing UCSD with stable, low-cost electricity through a long-term power purchase agreement. Onyx will also monetize the project’s renewable energy credits (RECs) as part of the Illinois Shines REC program. Sol Systems originated and initially developed the project in 2022 before transferring it to Onyx. Verde Solutions will serve as engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) partner, handling the design and permitting of the project. The system is expected to be operational by the end of 2025.
Cool factor: The solar project, set to begin construction this spring, will feature a ground-mount array that generates clean, affordable power for UCSD’s southwest wastewater treatment plant. Once complete, the onsite solar energy system is expected to produce over 4,100,000 kWh in the first year of production. Any excess power will be used as credits to further offset UCSD’s power costs.
This onsite solar project is part of a larger $35.9 million expansion and upgrade of UCSD facilities funded by a low-interest loan from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and slated for completion in 2027. Together, the forthcoming energy upgrades — which include more efficient combined heat and power units at UCSD’s northeast plant as well as onsite production at the facility’s southwest plant — are expected to supply about 75% of UCSD treatment plants’ electricity needs.
Tags: commercial and industrial, Community Solar, utility-scale
