Duke Energy Sustainable Solutions (DESS), a subsidiary of the US-based energy corporation Duke Energy, has begun operations at its Pisgah Ridge Solar facility in Navarro County, Texas. The 250 MW project employed up to 300 individuals during its construction phase. DESS will own and operate the project, while Moss managed the engineering and construction operations. Three virtual power purchase agreements (VPPAs) with Charles River Laboratories International, Midwest retailer Meijer, and one unnamed entity are already in place for the Pisgah Ridge Solar plant.
By 2023, Charles River Laboratories International has a 15-year VPPA for 102 MW of the project, which will provide the company’s entire North American electric power load with clean, renewable energy. Meijer will purchase 83 MW of capacity produced by the solar facility at the same time as part of a 15-year VPPA agreement. A 15-year VPPA has also been signed by an unnamed entity and the Pisgah Ridge Solar project. More than 90 per cent of the facility’s output comes from the three VPPAs combined.
In February 2023, Plenitude started operations at the Golden Buckle Solar Project in Brazoria County, Texas. Built on 600 acres of land, the 263 MW solar facility has the ability to produce between 400 and 500 GWh of clean energy annually. Under a long-term power purchase agreement, Target would purchase the majority of the green electricity produced by the solar farm. In the presence of Mauro Lorenzini, the Italian consul general in Houston, Plenitude launched the Golden Buckle project.
