Indiana is revving up its solar capacity with the commercial operation of the third phase of the Riverstart solar project, which will generate clean power for Amazon.
Developed and owned by EDP Renewables, the project’s 100 MW phase brings the Riverstart solar project to 300 MW.
Riverstart was initially two 100 MW phases, the first of which reaching operation in 2021.
However, “Given the long-standing and positive relationship with the communities in Randolph County,” Tom Weirich, EDP North America’s head of stakeholder relations told pv magazine USA, “all sides wanted to invest more in the relationship, which resulted in this third additional phase of the Riverstart Solar Park.”
Sandwiched between solar-friendly Illinois and Ohio, a state known for public opposition to solar projects, Indiana’s enthusiasm for the renewable projects has remained steady, leading EDP to create a video about its local stakeholders who have worked with EDP in Indiana for over a decade.
With the third phase complete, Riverstart is among the largest solar facilities operating in the Hoosier State, with more to come. Weirich said EDP has many more phases planned for the project, with two in the works: the Riverstart’s fourth phase is under construction and its fifth phase is planned for 2026.
Along with EDP’s pollinator-friendly seed mix, Weirich said Riverstart’s third phase uses
- 145 MW solar modules made by Boviet,
- inverters made by Siemens Gamesa, and
- trackers made by Array Technologies.
The project is located about 80 miles northeast of Indianapolis in Randolph County and created more than 350 jobs during its construction, which included apprenticeship programs for unions, Weirich said.
The landowners will be paid $28 million for the project through lease agreements, and the project will generate about $32.8 million in taxes for the local government over its lifetime. According to EDP Renewables, approximately $2.9 million will be spent locally on restaurants, shops, gas stations and other retailers throughout the life of the project.
Amazon will be the sole offtaker of power produced by Rivertstart’s third phase through a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Amazon is also the sole offtaker of the largest solar project in Ohio, which came online at the end of last year. Amazon also procures clean energy from two 100 MW projects in Arkansas and in Mississippi, among others.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Amazon is among the top five corporations for solar procurement. Corporations have procured more than 55 GW of clean energy through PPAs since the start of 2021, according to a report published in December by the American Council on Renewable Energy.
While Amazon is not a carbon emissions-free enterprise as it uses gas-powered trucking and flies commercial jets and some of its datacenters are operated on electric grids that are still heavily fossil-fuel based, it set a goal in 2019 to match all the electricity consumed in its global operations with 100% renewable energy by 2030. Amazon announced last year that it achieved this target in 2023, seven years ahead of schedule.
The 200 MW from Riverstart’s first two phases were procured through a 20-year PPA with Hoosier Energy Cooperative, which will use the power generated by the solar farm to supply communities in central and southern Indiana and south-eastern Illinois.
EDP Renewables currently has five solar projects in Indiana that are either under construction or in development, which will total 700 MW once complete. According to EDP Renewables, the company’s renewable projects generate nearly 30% of Indiana’s wind, solar and storage capacity.
Indiana’s solar capacity has grown immensely in the past couple years. Last summer, for example, the first phase of the 1.3 GW Mammoth Solar project became operational, adding 400 MW to Indiana’s grid.
With 3.54 GW of total installed capacity across the state, Indiana is ranked 16th in the country for its solar capacity, according to data through the end of 2024 from SEIA. According to SEIA, 3.67% of the state’s electricity is from solar.
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