Pivot Energy Partners under Community Solar

National supplier of renewable energy, Rotational energy, announced cooperation with Rivian, American electric vehicle manufacturer, consuming a total of 60 megawatts (MWdc) of solar energy. Rivian has committed to purchasing 50 MWdc of renewable energy certificates (RECs) generated from solar energy and is subscribing to 10 MWdc of community solar energy from Pivot Energy for its Illinois manufacturing facility.

Impact REC agreements like this one aim to direct clean energy resources to regions ready to develop new solar technologies and contribute to local community initiatives. The Rivian partnership enables the strategic development of additional solar projects in locations with low solar resources. According to the EPA, the region of the power grid where solar projects will be located is 67% more polluted than the entire U.S. grid, meaning the region emits two-thirds more greenhouse gases from fossil fuels than other areas. By supporting newly built distributed solar projects through the REC Purchase Agreement and Community Solar Subscription, Rivian will have a huge impact on reducing emissions in this region. New community solar projects are expected to generate an average of 79,000 megawatt hours (MWh) of clean electricity per year, equivalent to powering 10,892 homes per year.

Both companies will invest $5,000 in each MW built in local community organizations. Donations associated with each MW built will support local community organizations working to reduce the energy burden on low-income families by developing solar workforce development pathways for local residents and groups working at the intersection of agriculture and energy production.

This partnership serves as a template for scaling renewable resources to meet the growing demand resulting from the development of electric vehicles. Rivian’s decarbonization strategy includes plans to use 2 gigawatts of renewable energy for electric vehicle charging – enough to power at least 12 billion miles of R1 vehicles on renewable routes. Rivian’s manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, is expected to use more than 90% carbon-free energy per hour and will be powered by 100% renewable energy every year by 2030. As demonstrated in Rivian Power with Purpose, written in partnership with The Nature Conservancy Rivian’s 3C strategy values ​​more than just megawatt-hours from projects and instead seeks to maximize community, environmental and climate benefits. Collaborating with Pivot Energy is a significant step in this process.