At the Paris Solar Farm in Puryear, Tennessee, row after row of indigo-colored solar panels reflect the sun as it breaks through the clouds over the surrounding treescape.
The Paris Solar Farm project, the first of its kind in Henry County, represents an impactful partnership between the local utility-Paris BPU, Rivian, and carbon solutions platform Clearloop, a Silicon Ranch company, to bring more clean energy to the region. Rivian’s portion of the solar project investment will provide enough energy to power all our chargers in the state with 100% new, clean energy.
Since our very first vehicle delivery, every kilowatt hour from all Rivian chargers has been powered by renewable energy. As we continue to accelerate our clean energy efforts, we’re choosing to invest in areas where access to renewable energy is scarce, ultimately displacing a larger share of fossil fuels in the nation’s electricity grid.
Today in Tennessee, for example, solar energy accounts for only 0.4% of the grid. To compare, in California solar energy comprises 16% of the grid. As a result, one megawatt hour of electricity in Tennessee emits around 32% more carbon than a megawatt hour in Northern California.
Projects like the Paris Solar Farm not only provide greater access to clean energy, but they are also good for business, lowering the cost of renewables for all and delivering lower costs per megawatt. This is an essential step in displacing carbon-emitting fossil fuel power plants, says Andrew Peterman, Director of Renewable Energy at Rivian.
“Our approach not only protects our planet but enables greater and more affordable access to clean energy across the country,” Andrew says. “This is a key step to sustainably growing our business. We aim to drive the greatest system-wide impacts for communities, customers, and the environment.”