AT&T signs 15.6MW solar deal in New York

AT&T is to procure solar energy from five projects in Upstate New York.

DSD Renewables (DSD) this week announced it had signed a deal with AT&T which will see the telco serve as an anchor tenant subscriber for a five-project community solar portfolio.

AT&T will offtake 15.5MW of the larger 24.1MW portfolio – which is expected to generate 17.4 gigawatt-hours (GWh) of clean energy annually.

The community solar sites are located in Cortland (5MW), East Syracuse (2.7MW), Medina (2.5MW), Utica (902 kW), and Swan Lake (4.4MW).

Four of the five sites are under construction, with the last project expected to start construction later this year.

“These projects offer a socially conscious and innovative way for large corporations like AT&T to reduce their carbon footprint while making a positive impact in the communities where they operate,” said Sarah Moon, senior director of Community Solar at DSD. “By continuing to support community solar programs, we’re able to help create cost-effective solutions that benefit big corporations and residents alike, providing clean, affordable energy to local communities.”

DSD was launched as GE Solar in 2012. BlackRock took a majority stake in the company in 2019, after which it was rebranded. The company provides canopy, rooftop, and ground-based solar systems.

“We strongly believe that corporations can play a key role in helping power the communities they serve, and this agreement is one way for AT&T to do just that,” said Shannon Thomas Carroll, AVP of Global Environmental Sustainability at AT&T. “By working together with developers like DSD, we’re able to explore solutions outside of on-site renewables that can help us reduce environmental impacts while also supporting local communities by making solar programs more accessible.”

Last year AT&T signed two solar Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with energy trader Vitol totaling 155MW; in 2019 the company purchased 500MW of solar power in Texas in a deal with Invenergy.

AT&T has committed to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its global operations by 2035; the company has signed PPAs totaling more than 1.7GW.

Iron Mountain recently signed a PPA in the Netherlands to offtake energy from rooftop solar panels atop several warehouses at the harbor of Rotterdam. Data Center Dynamics