TotalEnergies signs Californian solar, storage PPA

Deal with Mineral-based specialty solutions supplier Imerys for its Lompoc facility in Santa Barbara

Mineral-based specialty solutions supplier Imerys is collaborating with TotalEnergies to install a large-scale solar power system paired with battery energy storage at its Lompoc facility in Santa Barbara County, California.

The move forms part of a long-term energy services contract.

Under the agreement, TotalEnergies will install, maintain and operate at its Lompoc facility an approximately 15MWdc ground-mounted solar array and 7.5MWh energy storage system for Imerys under a 25-year Power Purchase and Storage Services Agreement (PPSSA).

The Lompoc industrial site began its diatomite mining and processing operations in the 1890s. The new renewable power installation will cover 50% of the current electrical energy demand of the site.

Imerys vice president for performance minerals in the Americas Jim Murberger said: "This project highlights Imerys' approach to reducing CO2 emissions and enabling us to produce clean, smart energy across our plants in the Americas.

"This is a pivotal step to combat climate change and to manage the energy we buy in the region as we continue to invest and develop low-carbon products for our customers as well as extract and transform minerals responsibly and sustainably."

The TotalEnergies Distributed Generation USA team first engaged with Imerys to evaluate which of the company's US facilities offered the greatest viability for solar.

Under the PPSSA agreement, TotalEnergies will finance, install and operate the Lompoc facility's solar-plus-storage system.

Managing director of TotalEnergies distributed generation USA Eric Potts said: "We remain committed to helping Imerys achieve its sustainability goals with projects around the world, now with a focus on their US operations.

"TotalEnergies is proud to be one of Imerys' energy transition partners, and we applaud the company for investing in solar power and energy storage to reduce its environmental impact."

TotalEnergies currently has more than 1GW of signed solar capacity with over 500 business and public agency customers worldwide. The deployment of this capacity is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

The solar-plus-storage system at Imerys' Lompoc site, which is expected to be fully operational in three years, features a ground-mounted single axis tracker solar PV system with bi-facial modules to maximize energy generation and will produce roughly 30GWh annually.