EDPR NA Energy Insight

Celebrating Ten Years of Clean Energy Success from Texas to California and North to Canada

September 4, 2024

2024 is a remarkable year for EDP Renewables North America as we celebrate the achievements of ten of our wind farm and solar park projects, which are celebrating milestone anniversaries. EDPR NA is proud of six projects that reached their 5-year anniversary and four projects that reached their 10-year anniversary.

Bright Stalk Wind Farm (Illinois), Los Mirasoles Wind Farm (Texas), Prairie Queen Wind Farm (Kansas), Windhub A Solar Park (California), Sun Streams Solar Park (Arizona), and Sunshine Valley Solar Park (Nevada) wind farms all mark 5- years of energy production.

Additionally, EDPR NA celebrates the 10-year anniversaries of its Headwaters Wind Farm (Indiana), Lone Valley Solar Park (California), Rising Tree Wind Farm (California), and South Branch Wind Farm (Canada).

These wind farms and solar parks have been delivering clean energy since 2014, totaling over 1.6 GWs and collectively powering over 476,400 average North American homes each year.

These anniversaries serve as testaments to the sustainability, longevity, and incredible value that renewable energy brings to its local communities. From coast to coast, renewable energy projects are investments in not only our future, but our overall continent’s clean energy transition.

Being a Good Neighbor for 5-Years, 10-Years and Beyond

With EDPR NA, communities can be assured that we will have an on-the-ground, longer-term presence in the surrounding area. This could be most exemplified by some of the social investments made in counties where these ten projects are located. For example, Headwaters Wind Farm in Indiana played a critical role in providing $50,000 to tornado relief earlier this year, helping local community services come online to assist those affected by the storm.

In the case of South Branch Wind Farm in Canada, community benefit payments are fused with permit requirements so that every year, the Farm contributes tens of thousands of dollars to Indspire, a national Indigenous registered charity that invests in the education of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people for the long-term benefit of these individuals, their families, and communities. The wind farm is also active in the local municipality of Dudas, supporting public recreational facilities and programs, community gatherings, and events. In addition, the wind farm also provides funding for local education job training related to sustainability and renewable energy.

These stories are what makes each of these projects truly special – each in their own way is a living part of the local community, committed to empowering those around them with clean electrons, as well as fostering a sense of strong community.

A Commitment to Economic Growth

These anniversaries celebrate more than just renewable energy production. These projects represent a decade of job creation, local spending, and local tax payments. During construction phase, the projects collectively generated over 1,200 full-time equivalent construction jobs, contributing significantly to local employment. Today, they support more than 95 permanent positions dedicated to the ongoing operation and maintenance of the farms, providing stable employment opportunities within their communities.

With more than $306 million spent within 50 miles of these projects, it’s impossible to ignore these projects’ success stories. This spending helps many local businesses like local contractors, restaurants, hotels, gas stations, and other service providers.

Business owners Loren and Regena Lance said it best about their thoughts on neighboring Prairie Queen Wind Farm in Kansas: “We have seen nothing but a positive impact on Allen County. Everything that the wind farm workers touch - housing, meals, the trucks they drive—they are supporting local businesses.”

Additionally, landowners who have entered into lease agreements for these projects have received over $100 million in payments, further stimulating local economies, strengthening family farms and ranches, and fostering community development.

According to Richard Kotzur, one of our landowners tied to the Los Mirasoles Wind Farm in McCook County, Texas, “Any extra money for somebody in agriculture is a plus. The stable income makes a difference.”

All these projects were all operational during the COVID-19 pandemic and each played a critical role supporting small town economies when times were hardest, providing stable and reliable revenue.

Environmental Impact and Water Conservation

Environmental sustainability and resource preservation keep the United States and Canada beautiful, and these ten projects walk the talk in supporting local commitments.

One of the main benefits experienced by landowners hosting EDPR NA’s solar parks has been the opportunity to give the land a chance to rest and replenish for the next generation. At the end of the solar park’s life, the equipment is removed, and the land can return to its original use.

Water has also been a resource more and more in demand, with these projects playing their part in ensuring water stewardship. Collectively, they save approximately three billion gallons of water annually compared to the alternative, which are traditional energy sources that use a lot more water to produce the same amount of energy. This impressive water savings highlights the positive environmental impact of wind energy, as it eases the pressure on vital water resources while delivering a sustainable power supply.

By reducing water consumption, these wind farms not only contribute to environmental conservation but also play a crucial role in mitigating the impacts of climate change. The ability to generate clean, renewable energy while conserving water underscores the importance of transitioning to sustainable energy solutions. Renewable energy keeps money and resources where they should be - in the community.

Reflections on Progress

These ten projects celebrating their 5- and 10-year anniversaries are just a piece of the clean energy puzzle in the greater move towards the clean energy transition across the US, but their success proves that EDPR NA’s mission of supporting local communities is alive and well. At EDPR NA, local community partnerships and individual relationships on the ground with landowners are some of our proudest assets. We cannot wait to see the reformative change that renewable energy brings to communities of all sizes and to the continent as a whole.

For more information, visit EDP Renewables North America, and follow us on LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Author
Tim Hertel | Executive Vice President, Asset Operations
Email: timothy.hertel@edp.com
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