SunPower sells Stanford University solar projects

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SunPower Corp. sold a substantial majority interest in two solar projects that help fuel Stanford University to New Energy Solar.

In total, the projects have more than 134 MW in capacity. SunPower Corp. developed, designed and constructed the two projects in Kern County, Calif., and will continue to operate and maintain the plants.

Stanford signed a long-term agreement to purchase 100 percent of the power from the two plants, as well as the renewable energy credits (RECs), generated from the Stanford Solar Generating Station project. Turlock Irrigation District (TID) will purchase power and RECs from the second project, the TID Solar Generating Station.

“We believe the quality of these projects make them excellent additions to our portfolio,” said Tom Kline, New Energy Solar CEO. “We are proud to partner with SunPower.”

What makes the Stanford University and TID projects particularly interesting is that the energy produced by the two plants will serve customers around 300 miles away, showing the flexibility solar provides potential commercial customers who don’t have room to put a solar generating system on their property.

Construction of both projects commenced in the middle of 2015. Both facilities are expected to achieve commercial operation later this month.

The sale comes at the end of a roller-coaster year for SunPower, which has seen uneven financial performance and expected job cuts totaling 3,700, including the shuttering of its Phillipines manufacturing plant, with 2,500 attendant job losses. It also settled a $50.5 million dispute with a Filipino subcontractor.

SunPower is expected to report lower 2016 revenues than expected, although third-quarter results improved during Q3.

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