Rivian signed a new Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to source 50 MW of clean energy from Apex Clean Energy's Goose Creek Wind Farm, reported by Electrek. The EV maker will use wind energy for its manufacturing facility in Illinois, which generate 75% of its power.
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PHOENIX, ARIZONA - OCTOBER 08: A Rivian R1S electric SUV (L) is parked at a Rivian Service Center on October 8, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona.
The facility can produce up to 150,000 EVS every year, but they only plan to produce 25,000 this year. And this comes with wasted energy and GHG emissions as Rivian scaled production capabilities at the facility as a result.
To help with this, Rivian's first large-scale clean energy purchase will help use wind energy to reduce its carbon impact.
The wind energy will be supplied from the renewable energy company's proposed Goose Creek Wind farm, which will house up to 50 wind turbines across 20,000 acres of land. Once complete, the project can produce 300 MW of clean energy every year that can power 99,000 US homes.
The Forever Fund
Rivian is committed to helping the planet transition to carbon-neutral energy and transportation. With this, they launched the Forever fund, which invests 1% of its equity in focusing on high-impact climate initiatives emphasizing preserving and restoring wildlands, waterways, and oceans.
Wind Energy
Rivian will focus more on making EVs with the highest range and performance while remaining focused on powertrain design. Rather than focusing on going all-electric, they also considered using fuel cell technology to power their vehicles.
In the end, Rivian's large-scale clean energy purchase can help its manufacturing facility make the transition to sustainable energy while supporting the wind industry's growth.
It is also a big deal for the wind industry, considering that the US is expected to reach a total installed capacity of 100 GW in the near future.
More importantly, it can inspire other companies to commit to a low-carbon future. With this, the US is becoming a major market for renewable energy sources and can help wind replace fossil fuels as the leading energy source.
Wind energy has always been a good source of clean energy, especially when paired with battery energy storage systems. With this, its energy price is often the same or even lower than fossil fuel. It can also provide instant energy during a power outage and clean energy for the grid year-round.
Its only downside is fixing the amount of wind that can hit a certain area, the noise produced during operation, and its high initial cost. The noise is a minor issue and doesn't affect the neighbors of wind farms. And the power of wind varies from one location, and it can't be stored. But the recent improvements in wind turbines have helped make the technology more efficient and reliable.
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