Wildflower Solar, a 100MW project of Clearway Energy Group is being announced for purchase by Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions.
A first solar power plant in Mississippi
Wildflower Solar will produce enough energy to power approximately 21,000 homes. Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2022 for commercial operation in late 2023. It will be Duke Energy Sustainable’s first renewable energy project of a solar plant in Mississippi.
The Wildflower Solar project benefits from a partnership of several companies, including Toyota North America. This company signed a 15-year virtual power purchase agreement for up to 80MW of solar energy. In addition, the agreement will be on a production basis linked to the project’s real time energy production.
A local partnership
Indeed, the Wildflower Solar project is located near the Toyota manufacturing plant in Mississippi. The site will connect to the renewable electricity grid as part of the decarbonization of its production. In addition, Toyota North America hopes to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2035.
Chris Fallon, President of Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions, states:
“We are excited to continue to grow our commercial solar portfolio and enter the Mississippi market, which will leverage the region’s clean energy resources. When completed, Wildflower Solar will further diversify Mississippi’s energy infrastructure, while reducing Toyota’s emissions from its North American operations.”
Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions is the owner and operator of Wildflower Solar, which is expected to employ 300 people during construction. In addition, the site will also have a positive economic impact by providing tax revenue to Mississippi Public Schools.