Long-term agreement nets Entergy Texas 150 MW of solar power from Umbriel Solar facility

While construction only just began on Longroad Renergy’s Umbriel Solar facility in Polk County, Texas, Entergy Texas announced last week that it secured a long-term Power Purchase Agreement for the facility’s total 150 MW going forward.

Expected to reach commercial operation later this year, the project will represent the equivalent of avoiding approximately 250,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. Umbriel Solar could also provide a green energy tariff for Entergy Texas customers through a new voluntary program known as the Green Future Option – if approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. It would allow the benefits of solar generation without customers having to own solar panels themselves.

“Umbriel marks a major milestone, as it will be our first solar resource to come online, further diversifying our portfolio,” Abigail Weaver, Entergy Texas director of resource planning and market operations, said. “Our communities are increasingly asking for clean-energy offerings, and this facility will provide affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy for years to come.”

Entergy Corporation – Entergy Texas’s parent company – first announced plans to triple its renewable energy portfolio over three years beginning in 2021. It expects to have 11,000 MW of renewable energy generation at its disposal by 2030. For Longroad Energy, though, completing Umbriel will also mark more than 1.7 GW of total wind and solar projects developed, financed, and built in the state.