MCE and sPower recently announced that they achieved commercial operations on a 130 MWdc solar project in Lancaster, California. The project, named Antelope Expansion 2, completed by sPower in December of 2018 will sell output to MCE under a long-term Power Purchase Agreement (PPA). While California is home to many large solar projects, this is the largest one completed to-date in California with a Community Choice Aggregator (CCA). CCAs broaden the potential for renewables by allowing cities and counties to bring customers together to leverage individual purchasing power within a defined jurisdiction.
Antelope Expansion 2 is the second solar facility where sPower and MCE have partnered to bring more solar on-line. This project provides meaningful benefits to the community, producing enough electricity to power over 26,000 homes and eliminating over 217,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. While under construction, this project provided meaningful economic benefits locally in the over 261,000 union labor hours worked from the Southern California Trade Unions, including Laborers Local 300, Operators Local 12, Ironworkers Local 433 & 416 and IBEW Local 11.
“MCE is proud to partner with sPower and unions to continue supporting the green jobs and renewable energy projects that will both bolster local communities and evolve into the cornerstone of the state’s new economy,” said Dawn Weisz, CEO of MCE. “Projects like this demonstrate MCE’s mission to offer the 60-100 percent renewable energy options that helped MCE customers meet California’s SB 100 renewable energy targets 11 years ahead of schedule.”
“The project is indicative of the trend of CCAs taking a leadership position in renewable procurement within California,” said Hans Isern, sPower’s Senior Vice President of Origination. “CCAs are giving electric customers in California the ability to select a cleaner source of power from in-state projects, which also helps provide more opportunities for local businesses, labor unions, and communities within the state.”
