SunEdison, Procter & Gamble activate 1.1 MW solar PV system

OXNARD, USA: SunEdison and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) celebrated the activation of a 1.1 megawatt (MW) photovoltaic solar system at Proctor & Gamble’s paper products manufacturing plant in Oxnard, California.

The event was attended by Mayor Tom Holden of Oxnard; Senator Fran Pavley of the 23rd District; Karen Kukurin, Deputy Director, Community Liaison Office of Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; and a representative from the office of Congresswoman Lois Capps of the 23rd District. Also attending were executives from Procter & Gamble and SunEdison, the solar services provider that financed, built and will maintain the solar energy system.

The roof-mounted photovoltaic solar energy system is projected to produce more than 1.9 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of clean solar energy during its first year of operation. Over 20 years, the system is estimated to produce more than 34 million kWh, enough energy to power 3,267 average US homes for a year.

According to Vera Ingenhuett, plant manager of the P&G Oxnard facility, “Activating this solar energy system is a milestone in meeting our goals for sustainability. P&G recently doubled the corporation’s 2012 per-unit reduction targets for greenhouse gas emissions, waste generation and water and energy consumption, and solar energy is a major component of our energy strategy. For our Oxnard project, SunEdison’s SPSA business model allowed us to move from construction to activation in two-and-a-half months.”

Brian Jacolick, SunEdison’s General Manager, Americas, said: “P&G continues to be a model for corporate energy responsibility. Activation of this zero-emissions system in Oxnard means that, over 20 years, an estimated 36.9 million pounds of carbon dioxide that would have been emitted during the production of electricity from fossil fuels will be removed. This is the equivalent of taking 3,620 cars off the road for one year.”

Carlos Domenech, President of SunEdison, commented: “We are delighted and honored to enable P&G to achieve its environmental and energy goals. This is the type of leadership needed to inspire others to take an active role protecting the environment, managing energy, and creating jobs in their communities. We are delighted to be part of this project.”

The 20-year solar power services agreement (SPSA) with SunEdison required no upfront capital from P&G. Electricity from SunEdison will be purchased by P&G at long-term, predictably priced rates.