News Article
Sumitomo Invests in Desert Sunlight Solar Farm
Sumitomo Corporation of America (SCOA), have invested in the Desert Sunlight Solar Farm, a 550-megawatt (MW) solar power project under construction in the California desert, east of Palm Springs. This is Sumitomo's first investment in U.S. solar projects and will expand Sumitomo's renewable energy portfolio, which already includes over 1,800 MW in projects across the United States.
According to the U.S. Department of the Interior, Desert Sunlight is the largest solar photovoltaic (PV) facility approved for U.S. public land. It will generate enough energy to power more than 165,000 homes and displace 300,000 metric tons of greenhouse emissions per year "“ equivalent to taking 60,000 cars off the road. It is located on approximately 4,100 acres, and the facility is estimated to create more than 630 jobs at peak construction.
The solar farm "“ whose other investors include GE Energy Financial Services and NextEra Energy Resources farm "“ was initially developed by First Solar Inc., the largest U.S. utility-scale solar project developer. First Solar will construct, operate and maintain the project, which uses the company's advanced thin-film PV technology. Desert Sunlight has secured Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) to supply Southern California Edison with 250 MW, and Pacific Gas & Electric with 300MW of clean energy for the next two decades.
Sumitomo's investment was made through a purchase of part of GE Energy Financial Services' share in the Desert Sunlight project, giving the company 25% ownership.
"The investment in Desert Sunlight is a good representation of what Sumitomo is doing in regards to supporting a clean energy future," said Teruyuki Miyazaki, Vice President, Power & Telecommunications Business, SCOA. "This, along with our earlier investments in major renewable energy projects in the U.S., allows us to leverage our experience and know-how as a long-term strategic investor and work with strong partners on high-quality renewable energy projects in the advanced stages of development or construction."
Participation in the Desert Sunlight project is Sumitomo's fifth renewable energy investment in the U.S. Globally, Sumitomo owns and operates two wind power facilities in Japan and a 50-MW wind facility in China, the largest wind energy market in the world. The company is also an investor in four solar power projects; 31MW project in southern France; 14MW project in Canary Island, Spain; 10MW project in southern Italy; and a 5MW project in Germany.
