Solar developer Lightsource bp has signed a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with tech giant Microsoft for power produced at Lightsource bp’s 40MW solar PV plant in Poland.
The deal is both parties’ first PPA in Poland, and will contribute to Microsoft’s goal of powering its operations with 100% renewable energy by 2025, the company said.
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Lightsource bp did not confirm the exact location or completion date of the project.
“Solar power has a huge role to play in Poland’s energy transition and in the two years since Lightsource bp began work in Poland, our team has built up a significant 2.5GW pipeline of solar opportunities”, said the CEO of Europe and APAC of Lightsource bp, Kareen Boutonnat.
“This contract with Microsoft is a blueprint for Poland’s renewable future and supports our goal to support the decarbonisation of Poland’s growing economy.”
Indeed, Poland is a quickly emerging market for European solar PV – PV Tech Premium analysed this rise in a two-part feature earlier this year.
Last month, Lightsource bp sold a 118MW Greek PV portfolio to HELLENiQ, a Greek renewables developer.
Microsoft is one of the largest corporate solar PPA beneficiaries in the world; it has a number of agreements in place in the US, as well as in India and Europe. Notably, earlier this year the company signed a deal with Korean-owned solar manufacturer Qcells for 2.5GW worth of its US-produced solar modules, which Microsoft would then offtake the power from once they are installed at a solar farm. The two companies said that this deal was the first of its kind, where a power offtaker made a deal with a component supplier to support both upstream and downstream investment.
PV Tech publisher Solar Media will organise the third edition of Large Scale Solar CEE in Warsaw, Poland 14-15 November 2023. The event will focus on Eastern Europe with a packed programme of panels, presentations and fireside chats from industry leaders responsible for the build out of solar and storage projects in Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and Hungary. More information, including how to attend, can be read here.
