Leeward Renewable Energy begins the construction of 100 MW Rabbitbrush solar PV project in California

Leeward Renewable Energy, Central Coast Community Energy (CCCE), and Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) have started the construction of the 100 MW Rabbitbrush Solar project located in Kern County, California. Leeward previously signed two 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with CCCE and SVCE.

McCarthy Building Companies serves as EPC (Engineer, Procure, Contractor) on the solar project and has initiated construction for the Rabbitbrush facility, which also includes a 20 MW, 50 MWh battery energy storage system. The project will consist of over 415,000 First Solar thin-film photovoltaic modules. Construction on the Rabbitbrush Solar Project is expected to be completed by end of July 2022, and the facility is estimated to begin operation by the end of August 2022. The solar project will generate roughly 300 new union jobs during construction as well as long-term operations jobs.

When fully operational, Rabbitbrush will generate enough clean solar energy to serve the needs of nearly 40,000 homes per year. It will displace approximately 48,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, which is equal to taking 10,500 cars with internal combustion engines off the road.