Today, Pivot Energy, a leading renewable energy provider, is proud to announce a groundbreaking five-year framework agreement with Microsoft. This unique collaboration is set to develop up to 500 megawatts (MWac) of community-scale solar energy projects across the United States between 2025-29, marking a significant milestone in the renewable energy sector.
Under this ambitious agreement, Pivot Energy is poised to develop approximately 150 US solar projects in roughly 100 communities across 20 states, including Colorado, Maryland, Illinois, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.
Microsoft’s commitment to purchase the project RECs (Renewable Energy Credit) for a 20-year term further underscores the scale of this initiative. The first projects are expected to come online before the end of 2024, paving the way for a significant shift towards sustainable energy.
This collaboration takes Pivot’s community impact commitment to a new level, with each solar project including significant community benefits. The agreement outlines four initiatives:
- Increasing the diversity of its subcontractors.
- Partnering with workforce development organizations and subcontractors to train and hire local diverse talent.
- Partnering with Sustain Our Future Foundation to invest in equitable community initiatives.
- Increasing the energy bill savings of the community solar projects directed to low-income subscribers.
“An economy fueled by clean, distributed energy can do more than provide power at low cost; it drives growth and success in communities across the nation. This collaboration between Pivot Energy and Microsoft exemplifies the power and impact that distributed generation can have,” said Tom Hunt, CEO of Pivot Energy. “Pivot Energy is proud of our industry-leading role in developing solar projects that benefit local communities. We are honored to collaborate with Microsoft to provide purpose-driven solar energy.”
“We believe the clean energy transition can and should benefit communities across the United States that have been historically excluded from economic opportunity,” said Adrian Anderson, GM, Renewables, Carbon Free Energy, CDR, Microsoft. “Through our work with Pivot Energy and with its commitments to driving community impact, this collaboration helps to build more inclusive, local economic growth across 100 communities while addressing the sustainability needs and opportunities within those communities.”
Over 20 years, the 500 MWac will produce more than 1 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough energy to power approximately 90,000 homes a year. This is equivalent to removing approximately 165,000 gas-powered passenger vehicles each year.
Also Read: Microsoft Windows outage, which affected millions was due to CrowdStrike software update
