The Campbell Soup Company has entered into power purchase and land lease agreements with American Capital Energy (ACE) for the construction of a 2.3MW photovoltaic (PV) plant to be located on 14 acres at its facility in Sacramento, California.
Under terms of the agreement, Campbell will lease the land to ACE which will be responsible for construction, operating and maintenance of the system that it will also own when complete. Campbell will purchase all electricity generated at the site which is expected to produce ten per cent of the plant’s annual requirement. The Sacramento Municipal Utility District will purchase the solar renewable energy credits from the project.
Mike Hagan, director of ACE, said, ‘Campbell’s decision to move ahead with this installation is another indicator of a strong future for on-site renewable power generation among major US corporations. This project provides further evidence that large energy users can take meaningful action to help their communities better meet their peak energy needs.’
Brett Buatti, vice president of manufacturing at Campbell’s Sacramento plant, added, ‘The planned solar array will benefit our many Sacramento neighbours. When complete, it will have the equivalent effect, in terms of reduction of carbon, of taking approximately 500 passenger cars off the road each year. This project reaffirms Campbell’s commitment to the Sacramento community and will help us continue to operate at world class manufacturing standards.’