ROUND-UP: Cannabis meets large-scale solar, PPA ready for 149MW in US, Navisun bags 14.3MW portfolio

March 19, 2019
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The 730-plus PV modules at Canndescent's farm represent 282.6kW in capacity (Credit: 7raysmarketing / Pixabay)

Commercial-scale solar at cannabis site hailed as world first

18 March: A Californian cannabis farm has reportedly become the world’s first to be powered by commercial-scale solar.

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Over 730 solar modules have been rolled out at the production facility run by Canndescent at Desert Hot Springs, with an installed capacity of 282.6kW.

The PV addition, built on seven carport structures across the farm, will help the cannabis grower slash annual carbon emissions by 365 metric tonnes.

PPA signed for 149MW Wisconsin project

18 March: A PV park Ranger Power is building in Wisconsin will supply electricity to a local power cooperative under a newly-signed PPA.

The deal with Dairyland Power Cooperative will see the utility purchase all power from the 149MW Badger State Solar Project, planned for development in the Jefferson County, to the west of Milwaukee.

Pending the regulatory go-ahead, construction works should begin next year and lead to the plant’s commercial launch in 2022.

Navisun bags 14.3MW distributed PV portfolio in Massachusetts

18 March: Developer Navisun has acquired a 14.3MW portfolio of community solar in Massachusetts from the Clean Energy Collective (CEC).

The takeover features nine community projects built across the US state by CEC, which has sold similar community PV portfolios in the northeast over the past few years.

In 2018, the Collective sold a 13.5MW package of Massachusetts and New York projects to Nautilus Solar, which already had acquired a 5.4MW portfolio in the former state the previous year.

All systems go for Hanergy’s thin-film park in the Netherlands

15 March: Thin-film solar specialist Hanergy has launched an 11.4MW solar park near Groningen, the Netherlands.

Dutch government officials attended the kick-off ceremony for the Roodehan thin-film park, featuring some 81,000 solar modules produced by Solibro.

The installation, co-developed between Hanergy and Dutch player Solar Energy Works, was built by Sunprojects.

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