This week on Projects Weekly, Avangrid’s Tower Solar project in inching closer to energization in Oregon. Further south on the West Coast, EDF Power Solutions and Masdar have inked a 15-year PPA for the BigBeau solar and battery project in California. Foss & Company and Altus Power have closed on tax equity and investment funding for a five-project portfolio on both coasts, and BHI is supplying funding to Origis Energy. Out east, the state of New York has approved the new Fort Edward Solar Project. IKO and affiliate Blair Rubber Co. have completed Seville, Ohio’s first commercial solar project, and in New Mexico, NTEC is expanding its residential installation program. Finally, Scale Microgrids has an agreement in place for a solar, battery, and EV charging system at Santa Barbara City College. Keep reading for all the details!

EDF, Masdar sign agreement for California’s BigBeau project

EDF Power Solutions North America and Masdar have signed a 15-year power purchase agreement for the output of their co-owned BigBeau Solar+Storage Project, and its adjoining battery system.

The project, good for 128 MWac in solar generation and 40 MW / 160 MWh in battery storage, is yet another addition to the solar empire in central southern California. The project began operations in February 2026 following a construction process of nearly four years, now providing power to Southern California Edison.

“This agreement forms a part of Masdar’s growing portfolio in the United States, reflecting our focus on scaling reliable, utility-scale clean power,” says Dustin Priemer, director of asset management at Masdar Americas. “We are appreciative of our growing partnership with Southern California Edison and our shared commitment to investing in new generation capacity to meet growing energy demand in California.”

Bright spot: BigBeau represents one of seven project collaborations between EDF and Masdar, and makes up a sizable chunk of their shared 1.1 GW portfolio. In total, EDF has developed more than 26 GW of solar, wind, and other renewable energy projects.

Active in the U.S. since 2019, Msadar has spent the first six years of the 2020s growing its North American solar and storage portfolio. The firm aims to build a total portfolio of more than 25 GW within the next decade, officials say.

Foss & Company closes investment for Altus Power distributed generation portfolio

Tax equity syndicator Foss & Company has announced the financial closure of Project London II, the internal name for its investments supporting Altus Power’s distributed solar and storage portfolio across New York, Maryland, and California.

Bright spot: This transaction is Foss & Co.’s second partnership with Altus, representatives say, and the portfolio includes a total of five solar plus storage assets on the east and west coasts. The two previously worked on the closure of Project London I in 2025.

“Project London II reflects the strength of our ongoing partnership with Altus Power and our shared commitment to scaling distributed solar and storage solutions,” says Bryen Alperin, partner and managing director of Foss & Company. “By leveraging established frameworks from our prior transaction, we were able to execute efficiently while maintaining a high standard of diligence and structuring.”

Altus Power CIO Abhi Parmar says his company values partners like Foss & Co. for their “consistency, discipline and a long-term perspective to the market.” With solar projects seeing more and more scrutiny, the renewable energy company was thrilled to be able to work with Foss once again, he adds.

“As the tax equity landscape becomes more selective, repeat partnerships like this reflect a shared bar for quality and execution that not all sponsors meet,” he says. “We’re proud to continue building together and scaling high-quality distributed generation assets across key markets.”

Avangrid connects Oregon’s Tower Solar to the grid

Renewable energy developer Avangrid has finished construction on its 166 MWdc Tower Solar project in Oregon, officials say, with the company connecting the new site to the wider grid June 2.

Bright spot: Utilizing more than 250,000 solar panels from Houston-based SEG Solar, the project will achieve full commercial operation this summer, Avangrid says. Once online, the project will deliver energy to Portland General Electric (PGE), supporting a QTS data center campus in the Beaver State.

“As demand for electricity continues to grow across the United States and in the Pacific Northwest, projects like Tower Solar are essential to delivering new generation at scale,” says Avangrid CEO Jose Antonio Miranda. “Furthermore, this project demonstrates how investment in America’s electrical infrastructure contributes to our domestic economy, supports union workers, and delivers reliable electricity to support the region’s growth.”

Located just west of Boardman, Oregon, the project sits on 900 acres of industrially zoned land, according to Avangrid officials. Additionally, the company has created approximately 200 construction jobs in building Tower Solar, with most of them being filled by regional union-backed labor.

“IBEW Local 112 members bring unmatched skill, safety, and productivity to projects like the Tower Solar project located in Eastern Oregon,” says Travis Sellers, business manager of IBEW Local 112. “We are delighted that our partnership with Avangrid and its contractors has produced another energy project that will power communities for generations.”

NTEC expands Navajo Sun Power! program with new residential installations

Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC) has announced the addition of nine new residential solar installations in Navajo Nation, as part of its Navajo Sun Power! Home Solar Installation Project.

Bright spot: The nine home installations “demonstrate measurable progress” for bridging the electrification gaps often present within Navajo Nation. The NTEC’s residential solar program is a first of its kind initiative, the company says, designed to deliver renewable energy to households that would otherwise not have access to electricity.

For many Navajo households, the installations are their first opportunity to electrify daily needs like refrigeration and heating, NTEC says.

“This program is about more than infrastructure—it’s about improving quality of life and creating opportunity,” says Andy Hawkins, Community Relations Senior Manager of NTEC. “Each installation brings us closer to ensuring that Navajo families have access to the essential services the rest of America often takes for granted.”

The program’s initial installations in Arizona’s Monument Valley are proof positive that the residential installation program can succeed. After installation, the NTEC also works with Navajo families to connect them to complementing government programs to support other home improvements like running water.

IKO completes Seville, Ohio’s s first commercial solar installation (PHOTO)

Shingle and roofing manufacturer IKO North America has completed the rooftop solar installation at its Blair Rubber facility in Seville, Ohio, the company says.

Developed in collaboration with Lenexa, Kansas-based Artisun Solar, the project supports IKO’s ‘Beyond’ sustainability program. The initiative focuses on advancing environmentally responsible operations across all its North American facilities. Blair Rubber Co., an affiliate of IKO, is another big part of that.

“At the Blair Rubber facility, we focused on a design that delivers high energy output while preserving the roof’s lifespan,” says Peter Whitney, VP of Artisun Solar. “The result is a solar array that supports IKO’s power needs and keeps the facility’s structural integrity intact.”

Bright spot: The newly installed solar system will produce about 503 kWdc for Blair Rubber, good for about 16% of the facility’s total energy demand on any given day. Over the project’s lifetime, officials expect it to cut energy costs for the firm by about $2.7 million, and offset more than 10,500 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

“Projects like this at Blair Rubber demonstrate how we are putting our Beyond program into practice at the facility level,” says Darren Rafter, director of sustainability at IKO North America. “While renewable energy is one part of the approach, we are also focused on advancing resource efficiency across our operations.”

New York DPS approves Ford Edward Solar Project

The New York State Office of Renewable Energy Siting and Electric Transmission (ORES) has issued a final siting permit to Boralex LLC for its Fort Edward Solar Project.

Located in upstate New York’s Washington County, the 100 MW solar facility is expected to see commercial operation by 2030. Boralex representatives say the site will generate enough solar energy to power about 25,600 average-sized New York homes, and it will also create 120 full-time construction jobs before it begins operations.

“This project advances New York’s clean energy goals and serves as a great example of how stakeholders and developers can work together to thoughtfully design a project that benefits community and landowner resilience, and the environment on both the local and state level,” says Jason Zehr, the New York ORES’s interim executive director.

Bright spot: Fort Edward’s permitting brings ORES’s total approved projects to 36, the office boasting a total of more than 5.1 GW of renewable energy in the Empire State. Over its lifetime, the project will also accrue more than $14 million in community benefits, including funding for local schools and Washington County residents.

“New York’s clean energy transition depends on taking real action to deliver projects on the ground, and ORES approval for the Fort Edward Solar project does exactly that,” says Julie Tighe, president of the New York League of Conservation Voters. “This project will add 100 megawatts of new renewable capacity, create more than 100 good-paying jobs, and advance New York’s transition to a clean energy economy.”

Scale to build microgrid installation for Santa Barbara City College

On-site energy solution firm Scale has been awarded $4.2 million in grant money from the California Energy Commission for its Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) Community Resilience Hub Project.

The grant will allow Scale to build an insulated microgrid project at SBCC, integrating solar, battery storage, and EV charging capabilities.

The college’s grid is “particularly vulnerable” when it comes to outages, officials say, racking up more than twice the outage duration and frequency compared to the rest of Southern California Edison’s systems. The resilience hub program aims to fix this, bolstering the grid in an outage- and disaster-prone region.

“We’re proud to have the support of the Energy Commission on this important project,” says Shea Hughes, Scale’s VP of business development. “Santa Barbara faces unique grid reliability challenges and vulnerabilities that make local resilience solutions such as solar, battery storage, and microgrids a critical need for communities in the area.”

Bright spot: Following the microgrid’s construction, SBCC’s campus will be a safe gathering place for residents to receive supplies and charge electronics in case of emergency. The college already sports an existing relief agreement with the American Red Cross, and this project drives that initiative even further.

The microgrid will also benefit SBCC during normal operations, integrating solar and battery storage to reduce peak demand. As of May 2026, the project is in planning and design stages.

BHI provides $200 million to Origis for renewable energy portfolio

BHI, the U.S. branch of Israel-based Bank Hapoalim, has announced that $75 million in funding will be going to Origis Energy to support “a diversified portfolio of renewable energy projects.”

Bright spot: Origis already boasts a portfolio of about 22 GW between solar, battery, and hybrid projects, the company says. 2.9 GW worth of that is already either operating or in construction, and the Miami-based developer has a pipeline of about 19 GW across 110 projects.

“At BHI, the renewable energy sector continues to shine as a core priority within our investment strategy,” says Assaf Nathan, first VP of international C&I and project finance at BHI.  “The sector itself is a fundamental component of how economies will grow and compete in the years ahead and we see significant long-term opportunity through deploying capital to meaningfully support the innovation and scale of the sector’s ongoing development.”

Deborah Kross, head of capital markets at Origis, says the opportunity to build a more resilient energy future has never been greater. With the new funding, her firm will be able to bolster local grids around the U.S. with immense energy diversification.

“Renewable energy is playing an increasingly important role in how communities, businesses, and economies power their growth,” she says. “We’re thankful for the backing from BHI and all our financial partners which will enable us to continue developing solutions that deliver long-term value while helping shape a cleaner, more reliable energy landscape.”

Tags: commercial and industrial, projects, Projects Weekly, Residential Solar, utility-scale