New solar project in Texas is Nestle's largest investment in renewable energy

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 If there’s one thing we know about Texas, it’s that it’s huge.


If there’s another thing we know, it’s that it gets its fair share of sunshine.

With that in mind, it makes it the perfect place for a large-scale solar project, which is exactly what Nestle are in the process of doing, a project that will prove to be their largest renewable energy investment to date.

The solar project, which will cover around 2,000 acres, is making use of NextTracker components, Power Electronics’ Freesun HEM inverters and in the region of 855,000 Jinko Solar modules. The project, named Taygete I, has generated more than 300 jobs during peak construction. Over the life of the new construction, it is expected to generate tens of millions of dollars in property tax revenue for Texas.

7X Energy, who are a utility-scale solar developer, have partnered with Nestlé as the sole tax equity investor, with 7X also being the project owner and asset manager. Their CEO, Clay Butler, commented on the project, saying: “Taygete I is an exciting achievement for 7X in which it is now an independent power producer. Our expansion into ownership and asset management is the clear evolution for 7X as we are committed to the highest design and construction standards while also aggressively managing end to end costs to provide greater access to more competitive clean energy.”

Nestlé is going to purchase 100% of all renewable electricity attributes generated by the project, which is projected to be 750,000 MWh per year for 15 years. This energy will help reduce carbon emissions as they make their range of products. Jim Wells, the chief supply chain officer for Nestlé USA, said: “Nestlé’s investment in Taygete I is an important milestone on our journey to achieve net zero by 2050. This is an aggressive goal, and to achieve it we are innovating across our company, from the ingredients we use, to the packaging that keeps our food and beverages safe, to how we make and transport our products. We are proud that our investment will expand the availability of renewable energy, adding enough solar electricity to the U.S. grid to power 90,000 homes each year. Also, with this step, we continue to be on track for a 35% GHG emissions reduction per ton of product in our U.S. manufacturing facilities by the end of 2020.”

We’ll watch this project with interest going forward.

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