Some heartening renewable energy news! Clean power developer Ørsted just signed an agreement to sell solar electricity to Bloomberg from Ørsted’s new Texas solar farm.
The 80-megawatt deal supplies Bloomberg power from Ørsted’s 471-megawatt Mockingbird Solar Center. Now here’s a neat twist – part of the solar site will protect nearly 1000 acres of vanishing tallgrass prairie, a first-of-its-kind conservation effort by Ørsted.
Bloomberg isn’t the only buyer hooked up. Corporate heavyweights like Covestro and Royal DSM are also getting Mockingbird solar. And get this – the facility’s total capacity is fully contracted out.
This new solar purchase aligns with Bloomberg’s pledge to use 100% renewable electricity through the RE100 initiative. Last year alone, Bloomberg secured over half its total worldwide electricity needs through clean energy. The Ørsted agreement is projected to cover all Bloomberg’s U.S. power and 80% globally.
Dave Wildman, Bloomberg’s infrastructure head, expressed excitement about achieving their green goals while preserving prairie acreage. Ørsted is donating over half the solar site to The Nature Conservancy for conservation once operational.
Monica Testa from Ørsted applauded like-minded companies prioritizing eco-friendly energy and land protection together. She spotlighted this solar collaboration aiding Bloomberg’s sustainability aims while saving rare native grasslands.
Preserving these vanishing prairies is a win-win since barely 1% still exist in Texas and under 5% nationally. Marks record-breaking tallgrass conservation. There are bonus economic benefits too – 500 construction jobs and over $215 million local impact estimated.
So kudos to both companies on this solar deal with purpose! Finding solutions that simultaneously tackle emissions and ecosystem protection is what we need.
