Google and EDP Renewables, the renewables arm of Portuguese utility EDP, have signed a framework agreement aimed at the development of more than 80 distributed solar projects with a combined capacity of 500 MW AC, or 650 MWp, in six US states.
The deal between the tech giant and the distributed solar generation unit of EDP Renewables North America represents the largest corporate sponsorship for distributed solar in the US, based on S&P Global and BloombergNEF data, the companies said. The initiative seeks to promote energy equity and reduce energy burden and is a result of an almost two-year collaboration between Google and EDPR. It will be partly funded through Google’s purchase of a new renewable energy credit (REC) called the ImpactREC that was developed by Google and EDPR NA Distributed Generation (EDPR NA DG).
The partners will start with projects in Ohio, where Google operates a data centre campus and a Google Cloud region. EDPR NA DG will develop, build and operate solar arrays, the first of which are scheduled to come online by the end of 2024.
The projects are expected to reduce electricity bills for about 25,000 low-to-moderate income families.
“Partnering with EDPR NA DG, we aim to reduce energy burden in the communities where we operate, while progressing toward our 24/7 carbon-free energy goal,” said Google energy lead Sana Ouji.
The initiative was facilitated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).