Organic farming cooperative Organic Valley has struck a deal on a community partnership that will see the company source 100% of its electricity resources from renewables by 2019, with the cooperative claiming that it is the largest food company in the world to do so.
As part of this new mandate, Organic Valley is partnering with the Upper Midwest Municipal Energy Group (UMMEG) and OneEnergy Renewables to develop a new community solar agreement that will develop over 12MW of PV energy in Wisconsin.
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This 12MW PV pipeline will not only allow Organic Valley to reach its 100% renewables goal, but also boost overall solar energy use in Wisconsin by 15%.
Along with the 12MW project pipeline, an additional 17MW of PV energy is also expected to be developed in Wisconsin, leading to a total generation capacity of 29MW.
Organic Valley will purchase renewable energy credits from the solar projects near their headquarters and distribution centre enabling the cooperative to be fully renewable-powered.
George Siemon, CEO and a founding farmer of Organic Valley, said: “Our future demands bold new thinking about our sources of energy, and there is nothing more natural to a farmer than harnessing the power of the sun and the wind. So our cooperative is committed to achieving 100 percent renewable power, and doing it in partnership with the rural communities where we live and work.”