Dive Brief:
- Major Nevada utility NV Energy and Apple have reached an agreement to develop a 200 MW solar project in Nevada by 2019, which will supply renewable energy to run the tech giant's Reno data center.
- The project will give NV Energy more than 500 MW of new solar resources in some phase of development in Nevada.
- The agreement with Apple stems a wave of unfavorable corporate-customer news for the utility, which has seen large casino customers pay fees to leave its service in search of cleaner and cheaper power.
Dive Insight:
NV Energy's deal with Apple helps the tech company hit its 100% renewable goals, and a small piece of it will also go towards residential and commercial customers.
"Investing in innovative clean energy sources is vital to Apple's commitment to reaching, and maintaining, 100 percent renewable energy across all our operations," Apple Vice President Lisa Jackson said in a statement.
The project will bring NV Energy's total to about 529 MW of new solar resources in construction in Nevada or under review for approval, adding to the utility's 491 MW of universal solar resources in the state currently serving NV Energy customers. And Apple has agreed to dedicate up to 5 MW of power to NV Energy's future subscription solar program for residential and commercial customers.
The next step will be for NV Energy to file an application with the Public Utilities Commission of Nevada, allowing it to enter into a power purchase agreement for the solar power plant.
NV Energy says customers are already served by more than 1,900 MW of renewable resources. Recently, however, several large customers have exited the utility's service to try their luck on the power markets to meet sustainability goals.
Caesars Entertainment Corp. has asked state regulators to leave NV Energy's service to shop for power, along with MGM Grand and Wynn Resorts. MGM faced almost $90 million in exit fees to drop NV Energy's service. The company accounted for almost 5% of the utility's power sales.