Largest Solar Farm in Texas Now Operational, Supplying Power to Clorox and Mondelez

(Credit: Pixabay)

The 245 MW second phase of the Roadrunner solar plant in Upton County, Texas is now operational. The overall 497 MW project is the largest operational solar farm in Texas.

Roadrunner will sell its energy in a 65 MW power purchase agreement (PPA) with Mondelez International and a 70 MW PPA with The Clorox Company. The agreement is Mondelez International’s largest renewable energy partnership and enables the company to make progress against its goal to reduce its absolute CO2 emissions from manufacturing 15% by 2020.

The PPA with The Clorox Company represents about half of Clorox’s 100% renewable electricity goal in its operations in the US and Canada and is expected to help Clorox accelerate achieving its goal in 2021, four years ahead of the company’s original plan. The plant’s 1.2 million bifacial photovoltaic panels will be able to generate approximately 1.2 TWh annually, avoiding the emission of over 792,000 tons of CO2 per year.

In June, Mondelez announced it intends to start incorporating recycled plastic into the European packaging for its Philadelphia cream cheese brand beginning in 2022. The move is part of the company’s commitment to use 5% recycled content in all of its plastic packaging. Mondelez said that increasing the use of recycled plastic drives demand for recycled material, reducing the need to produce new virgin material.

And last year, The Clorox Company announced the signing of a 12-year, 70MW virtual power purchase agreement (VPPA) for the purchase of renewable energy beginning in 2021. Representing about half of Clorox’s 100% renewable electricity goal in its operations in the US and Canada, this agreement is expected to help Clorox accelerate achieving its goal in 2021, four years ahead of the company’s original plan.