EDP Renewables North America has celebrated the 5- and 10-year anniversaries of ten of its wind and solar energy projects, highlighting their substantial economic and environmental impacts. Together, these projects generate enough energy to power more than 476,400 North American homes annually.
Marking 5-year anniversaries are Bright Stalk Wind Farm (Illinois), Los Mirasoles Wind Farm (Texas), Prairie Queen Wind Farm (Kansas), Wind Hub A Solar Park (California), Sun Streams Solar Park (Arizona), and Sunshine Valley Solar Park (Nevada). Additionally, Headwaters Wind Farm (Indiana), Lone Valley Solar Park (California), Rising Tree Wind Farm (California), and South Branch Wind Farm (Canada) celebrate 10 years of energy production.
The projects have collectively contributed over $306 million in spending within 50 miles of the project sites, boosting local economies by supporting businesses such as contractors, restaurants, and hotels.
Furthermore, these wind and solar farms have disbursed approximately $100 million to landowners through lease agreements and contributed more than $83 million to local governments through tax payments.
On the environmental front, the projects save around three billion gallons of water annually, which would otherwise be used by conventional energy sources. They have also created over 1,200 construction jobs and currently provide more than 95 permanent positions.
“These anniversaries are a testament to the progress we’ve made in building a more sustainable energy grid,” said Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America. EDPR NA, a leader in renewable energy since 2007, operates more than 10 GW of utility-scale renewable energy projects across 20 U.S. states, Canada, and Mexico.