Header image: Starfire Solar Farm courtesy of BrightNight
Electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian has struck a partnership with BrightNight and The Nature Conservancy to convert one of the biggest coal mines in the US into the largest solar plant in Kentucky, as reported by Electrek.
The mine, known as Starfire Mine, will now host “a clean energy project that would accelerate an equitable, science-based clean energy transition that maximizes positive impacts on climate, conservation, and communities.” The site, to be renamed BrightNight Starfire Renewable Energy Center, was selected by Rivian and The Nature Conservancy before BrightNight was brought in as the developer.
The $1 billion solar installation will generate 800 MW, enough to power 170,000 homes per year. In addition, the project will construct a 20-mile-long transmission line that will pave the way for an additional 1 GW of renewable energy in the future.
Phase 1 out of the four phases will commence in 2025, with Rivian purchasing 100 MW via a power purchase agreement from BrightNight, the equivalent of 450 million miles of clean energy driving every year.
The Nature Conservancy has also committed to buying 2.5 MW as a supplement to its own onsite solar farm. Rivian’s CEO RJ Scaringe commented on the proposed solar farm, “Shifting our energy system to carbon neutrality goes beyond electrifying the roughly 1.5 billion vehicles in the global fleet. We must also support the decarbonization of our grid and responsible deployment of renewable energy.”
Renewable Brief 