Three utility-scale solar power projects are slated to come online in Michigan next year due to an agreement between Virginia-based energy company AES Corp. and California renewable energy developer Borrego.
Under the agreement, Borrego will engineer and construct three solar power plants that will be owned and operated by AES. The electricity generated will be sold to Consumers Energy in Jackson.
The three projects — located in Cement City (south of Jackson), Pullman (southwest of Grand Rapids), and Letts Creek (west of Ann Arbor) — have started construction and are scheduled to come online by mid-2022.
With a cumulative installed capacity of 72 MW-DC, the solar farms will feature bifacial solar modules on single-axis trackers.
The solar plants will collectively generate approximately 104,500 megawatt-hours of electricity per year, enough to power more than 9,000 Michigan households. The clean energy produced will offset the equivalent of 74,057 metric tons of climate-harming carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuel sources.
“The Michigan projects represent the latest success in Borrego’s growth story,” says Brian Barker, general manager of the utility-scale engineering, procurement, and construction division at Borrego. “Our ongoing working relationship with AES is based on trust and transparency and is an example of our focus on powering our customers’ growth. We are excited to bring our expertise to Michigan and help the state decarbonize its grid.”
The agreement represents Borrego’s first foray into the growing Michigan clean energy market.
“We are proud to partner with Borrego to safely construct this project portfolio in Michigan,” says Mike Belikoff, COO of AES Clean Energy. “Throughout the bidding process, Borrego was flexible and transparent, and they proactively identified concerns, enabling us to resolve issues before signing contracts.”
