sPower starts commercial operation of 75 MW Pleinmont I solar PV project in Spotsylvania

sPower has achieved commercial operation on the 75 MW Pleinmont I solar PV project in Spotsylvania, Virginia.

The project, completed in late September, is part of a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Microsoft Corp. for 300 megawatts of solar energy. Pleinmont Solar II, 225-megawatts, will reach commercial operation in the summer of 2021. Pleinmont Solar I and II are part of the 485-megawatt Spotsylvania Solar Energy Center, the country’s fifth-largest solar farm. 

Construction on Pleinmont Solar I began in August 2019 and took 13 months to complete. Construction on Pleinmont Solar II has already begun. Collectively, Pleinmont Solar I and II will create more than 700 temporary construction jobs and 20-30 full-time employment positions.  

Pleinmont Solar I reached commercial operation just months after Virginia passed the Clean Economy Act, making it the first southern state with a 100 percent clean energy standard. Pleinmont Solar I and II will produce approximately 715,000 MWh of solar energy each year, offsetting more than 500,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide.