Brown University partners with Constellation and EDP for two renewable energy projects in US

Brown University has finalized agreements for two renewable energy projects that are expected to produce enough combined solar and wind power to offset all on-campus electricity use.

The first project, a collaboration with Constellation and Energy Development Partners (EDP), is to be located across a 240-acre field on a former gravel pit in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The 50 megawatt (DC) solar facility is expected to deliver 40 megawatts of converted AC power to the electrical grid.

The North Kingstown project is expected to produce enough electricity to offset about 70 percent of Brown’s annual electricity consumption generated through fossil fuels. A second renewable energy project, an 8 megawatt wind power project being developed in Texas with another energy services provider, is expected to produce enough electricity to offset the rest of Brown’s annual use.

The solar project in North Kingstown will transform a former sand and gravel mining site into a major renewable energy source. EDP will purchase the land and develop the site in collaboration with Constellation, an Exelon company, which will maintain ownership of the solar arrays and, together with Brown, lease the land. As outlined in a 25-year energy services agreement developed in partnership with CustomerFirst Renewables, Brown will obtain and retire project-specific renewable energy credits, essentially proof-of-ownership certificates that establish Brown’s right to claim the renewable energy as its own.