This week on Projects Weekly, independent power producer IPX Power has secured billions in funding for a series of massive solar and storage projects near Fresno, California. Elsewhere in the Golden State, two community facilities in Marin County are getting battery installations to assist with the growing concern of grid strain. Renewable America has also completed a series of sites for nut processing company Pearl Crop. In Illinois, New Energy Equity and the Harlem School District have energized a new community solar project and kicked off a new scholarship program for the district. Finally, Alaska is getting in on the American solar race with a newly approved $3 million grant for a project in the state’s rural central area. Keep reading for all the details!

Alaska legislature approves nearly $3M for Allakaket Solar Project

The Alaska State Legislature has approved a renewable energy fund (REF) grant for its 2027 budget, bringing a solar and battery project to the central area of the Last Frontier.

Located in the heart of rural Alaska, Allakaket currently boasts a population of just 177 as of the 2020 census. The project aims to solve the state’s current energy crisis, especially in remote areas like Allakaket, which sits nearly 200 miles from Fairbanks and is inaccessible by car.

“Having grown up and lived in rural Alaska, I understand firsthand the challenges created by high energy costs,” says Sen. Mike Cronk. “Due to the high cost of transporting diesel fuel to the community, Allakaket residents face some of the highest energy costs in the state. This project represents an important step toward reducing those costs and improving opportunities for local families, community facilities, and businesses.”

Bright spot: While the wattage of the project is currently unknown, it will certainly boost the state’s numbers in the American solar installation race. Alaska currently ranks 51st in SEIA’s ‘Solar State by State‘ rankings — dead last, at just 35 MW of solar and 176 MWh of battery storage installed.

“Renewable energy projects are essential to rural Alaska,” says Rep. Rebecca Schwanke. “Being able to bring a solar and battery project to Allakaket with the support and technical expertise of the Alaska Energy Authority could not come at a better time given the high cost of fuel.”

The state’s legislature also approved plans for a reservoir expansion on Goat Lake, officials say. The $2 million grant will help increase water storage capacity, reduce reliance on diesel, and provide further energy cost stability for rural Alaskans.

New Energy Equity and Harlem School District energize community solar project

ALLETE Inc. subsidiary New Energy Equity has energized a new 5.5 MW community solar project in northern Illinois’s Machesney Park.

Operated by New Energy Equity, the project sits on land owned by the town’s Harlem School District. The community project will generate about 6.3 GWh of renewable energy every year, officials say, which comes out to enough energy to power just over 1,000 Illinoisan homes.

“We’re very proud of this project at New Energy Equity because of all the positive benefits it delivers,” says Kyle Marchesseault, the company’s VP of marketing. “It delivers benefits for the school district in the form of lease revenue and electricity bill savings. It benefits four deserving, accomplished students through scholarships. And it provides more energy for the local community at a time of rising electricity demand.”

Bright spot: Alongside the project itself and its energy impacts, the New Energy Equity team has introduced a new scholarship program for the district, representatives say. The program will award $10,000 annually in scholarships and grants to Harlem School District over the next 25 years, the expected lifespan of the project.

In total, the company has pledged $250,000 to the local community, New Energy Equity says. Four outgoing senior students also received grants during the ribbon-cutting and energization ceremony.

“This collaboration represents what can happen when organizations come together with a shared vision for the future,” says Harlem School District superintendent Dr. Terrell Yarbrough. “It is a partnership that will have a lasting impact, not only on our schools but also on our students, our community, and future generations.”

IPX Power secures financing for gigawatt-scale Darden Projects

Independent power producer IPX Power has announced its securing of $4.95 billion in financing for the Darden Projects, a 1.15 GW / 4.6 GWh solar and storage project near Fresno, California.

Encompassing a letter of credit facility and three loans from a number of banks, the projects are expected to see commercial operation sometime in 2028, IPX Power officials say. The projects plan to transform currently retired agricultural land into a solar site in the Central Valley, the company adds.

“The scale of the Darden transaction reflects both the quality of what we’re building and the strength of the relationships we’ve cultivated at IPX Power,” says David Brochu, CEO of IPX Power. “Large, complex, innovative projects like Darden are central to the energy transition, and only achievable through deep collaboration with trusted partners. We are thrilled to have worked with Darden’s many financial partners to make this historic transaction a reality.”

Bright spot: The project’s financing represents the first for IPX Power since its spinning off from Intersect Power earlier this year. The newly secured financing also covers both the project’s construction and prolonged operation once fully online.

“This financing marks a defining moment not only for IPX Power, but for the clean energy transition in California,” says Julien Tizorin, managing director and head of power and new energy at Crédit Agricole CIB, one of the banks supporting the project.

“Darden is a testament to what is possible when visionary developers and committed financial partners build together—and we look forward to supporting IPX’s growing pipeline for years to come.”

California sees new battery installations at two Marin County facilities

Two “critical community facilities” in California’s Marin County are getting battery storage installations, according to the Marin Community Foundation and MCE Clean Energy.

Nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Dance Palace Community and Cultural Center in Point Reyes Station and the St. Vincent de Paul Society of Marin County now have batteries installed to fight the rampant grid strain on the West Coast.

“I’m excited to see these two projects realized to further our community resilience and lessen dependence on the grid,” says Mary Sackett, Marin County District 1 supervisor and MCE board director. “MCE has reinvested more than $12 million into Marin County initiatives that support community members most impacted by climate change.”

Bright spot: Both of these projects reached energization with zero out of pocket costs from either organization, and were solely funded by MCE’s Energy Storage Program and the Marin Community Foundation. MCE and its energy storage efforts have supported the installation of 90 commercial and residential battery projects in the area.

“Adding battery storage offers our community a new level of safety,” says Claire Burns, executive director of the Dance Palace. “During outages, people turn to us for information, connection, and support. Thanks to our partnership with MCE and the Marin Community Foundation, we’ll be able to keep our doors open when our community needs us most.”

Renewable America completes Pearl Crop solar sites in California

Distributed energy resources provider Renewable America has announced its completion of 1.9 MWdc worth of solar projects with food processing firm Pearl Crop Inc.

The agreements between the two companies cover a series of four projects in three different Golden State locations, spanning between Ripon, Linden, and Stockton.

“We’ve had a collaborative and beneficial partnership with Pearl Crop from agreement to completion, and it’s fulfilling to see three of the project sites running on solar power,” says Ardeshir Arian, President & CEO of Renewable America. “These projects foster energy autonomy in the local communities and contribute to our statewide carbon neutrality targets.”

Bright spot: Encompassing multiple facilities in central California, the solar projects aim to advance Pearl Crop’s “ambitious” sustainability targets, officials from Renewable America say. Specifically, the Stockton site will use solar for about 86% of its total energy needs, saving Pearl Crop a potential $230,000 in energy costs every year.

“Our Pearl Crop operations have high energy demands, and we’re on track for significant cost reductions from the transition to solar power,” says Ulash Turkan, CEO of Pearl Crop. “We appreciate Renewable America’s expertise, cost-effective solutions, and partnership as we celebrate this major sustainability milestone and work toward a greener future.”

Renewable America will also use these solar projects as a proof of concept of sorts for further commercial roof sites, with the company solving “multiple unique challenges” for design and installation. The firm worked to avoid shading from nearby buildings and ensured that traditional flat commercial roofs would not pose any issues for the project’s structural integrity.

Tags: commercial and industrial, Community Solar, project, Projects Weekly, utility-scale