The BrightNight Orchard Renewable Power Project

The solar project or “solar farm” at the Orchard Renewable Power Project will be used to help power the adjacent green hydrogen facility. Today, it’s common for commercial and industrial operations that use energy intensive processes to procure their own power source to reduce, or even eliminate, the demand they would otherwise have on the local grid. This is one of the many ways BrightNight and Plug are working to be a good neighbor.

Hydrogen is the lightest and most common element in the universe. It is also a useful fuel that can be converted directly into electricity without creating pollution. As more markets adopt strict rules to reduce greenhouse gases, green hydrogen will become a valuable new fuel. Today, most hydrogen is made from natural gas that releases greenhouse gases, which due to concerns about climate change has led to more regulation. This is called “grey” hydrogen. However, if the hydrogen is produced using only renewable energy like solar, wind or hydroelectric then it is called “green” meaning no greenhouse gases were created at any point in its manufacture or use.

Solar panels are placed on racks which are supported by posts driven into the ground. Posts are placed without the use of concrete and can easily be removed at the end of a project’s life. Once a project is decommissioned, the project is removed, 99 percent of the solar project’s components are recycled, and the site is returned to its original condition.

The Orchard Renewable Power Project will produce up to 300-megawatts of clean renewable energy each year, which equates to approximately 745,000,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity. That’s enough to power 69,530 homes annually and is the equivalent of removing 527,977 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere.

Solar panels are specifically designed to absorb sunlight, not reflect it. They have an anti-reflective coating that allows them to absorb and utilize as much sunlight as possible to generate electricity. This fact is exemplified in the large number of solar facilities currently installed and operational at airports and military bases across the country. As you drive by a solar project, the panels often appear purple or even black in color.

The process to make green hydrogen uses electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen in a machine called an electrolyzer. The process uses no chemicals, no fossil fuel, nothing except water and electricity. The only byproduct we produce is pure oxygen that is released to the air. In fact, this plant will produce about the same amount of oxygen each year as 11,000 acres of forest.

Green hydrogen is an excellent alternative to traditional energy sources such as coal, diesel, and gasoline. Green hydrogen can replace diesel for heavy duty transportation in trucks, trains, airplanes, and ships. It can also be used to power processes to make fertilizer, steel, and cement.

Water is used in the production of green hydrogen. However, the estimated water use for this facility is 200,000 gallons per day. If this same land were to be farmed, the comparative water use for the agricultural process would be 10,000,000 gallons per day. This represents more than a 98% reduction in water consumption.

Yuma County is an area rich in solar energy resource along with a skilled workforce. It is ideally located to support BrightNight’s solar project development and operations and to service Plug Power’s customers with Green Hydrogen throughout the Southwest. The site suits the area’s land use, being in close proximity to other industrial facilities, like the aggregate facility and the landfill. By building our renewable power project here, the economic benefits of the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy will go to the people in Yuma County as it becomes a center for clean fuel production and technology.

This facility is expected to generate 30 metric-tons of green hydrogen per day. Plug Power will transport this valuable fuel to our customers across the Southwest. Each truck can carry about 4.5 metric tons of green hydrogen. In the real world, not every truck leaves full or comes back empty, so Plug Power will likely average about 10 truck visits per day, or about one every couple of hours. Trucks will be traveling to and from Interstate 8 and State Road 195. Hydrogen trucks have been in safe operation on U.S. roads for decades and are designed to meet all DOT standards for the transport of flammable gas.

We are currently slated to begin construction in July of 2023 and operations are planned to begin in December of 2024.

Renewable power projects produce clean power for people, businesses, and utilities across the United States. These projects also provide land lease revenue to site owners, local tax revenues for the communities they call home, and create valuable jobs in a high-demand industry. In some cases, projects can utilize otherwise undevelopable land, such as capped landfills or former mines.

Additionally, renewable power projects attract big job creators who need to site their offices or facilities in areas with available renewable power or areas that support this kind of infrastructure investment. Renewable power projects aren’t just good for the environment, they support the long-term economic strength of the communities they call home.

Renewable power projects provide numerous financial benefits to a community. These include:

• Long-term tax revenue to the local county, which positively impacts local school systems and other community needs while requiring little to no county services in return.
• Creation of numerous jobs during construction and long-term operations and maintenance jobs.
• Production of low-cost clean power, which is in high demand by utilities and corporations and attracts economic development to the areas where it is available
• Delivery of clean renewable power to the utility grid to help meet the region’s energy needs
• Attracts big corporate and C&I job creators prioritizing locations with renewable power availability

Experienced solar developers, like BrightNight, are committed to projects that respect the rural character of the surrounding community. Professional appraisers have evaluated the sales of homes next to solar projects and they found that solar facilities do not have a negative impact on neighboring property values. Property values are safe because this infrastructure does not include elements that typically impact property values, including: noise, light pollution, high traffic, odor, and permanent land use impacts. Additionally, their low-profile design can easily be hidden by using setbacks and landscaping – both of which BrightNight designs into every project they construct and operate.

Solar projects are a low-impact land use that can safely operate next to neighboring agricultural operations. In fact, the natural ground cover under and between the rows of panels allows the soil to rest and rebuild nutrients, just as agricultural conservation programs recommend, making the land more profitable upon return to agricultural use. Sheep grazing can be used for grounds maintenance on the site and plants that attract pollinators (ex. bees) can be added to benefit neighboring farms. In some cases, solar projects can co-exist with certain crops. The space between rows can accommodate crops and even some shade-loving plants can utilize the space below panels. This process is referred to as “agrivoltaics” and it’s a new way BrightNight is working with farmers across the United States to maximize the value of their land.

Solar photovoltaic technology has safely operated for more than 50 years. There are no emissions or contamination from solar facilities to the air, water, or soil. Multiple independent studies by industry and leading engineering universities affirm that solar technology and solar energy production are safe for the landowner, the surrounding community, and the environment. For additional information on this topic, please see a study completed by N.C. State University on the “Health & Safety Impacts of Solar Photovoltaics”.

Additionally, solar projects do not emit any gasses nor release anything into the environment. Only a few components of solar panels contain toxic materials, but these exist in small quantities and are safely encapsulated within the panel structure, even if the panel becomes damaged. Thus, ensuring they pose no danger to human, animal, or environmental health.

Most materials in a solar project are similar to what you might find in any building construction or even in your car. Poly and mono-crystalline panels do not have any liquid inside of them. If broken there is nothing toxic to escape. The polysilicon wafers used in these panels are very similar to the microchips and computer boards that are inside of the phone in your pocket.

At the end of the system’s lifetime, BrightNight will safely remove the solar panels and recycle the majority of the project’s components.

Solar projects do not increase water runoff and, in the long-term, can actually improve soil and water quality. Over the life of the project, the native grasses and flora that are planted and maintained under and between each row of panels represent a net reduction in chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides that are often the primary sources of groundwater contamination from other land uses.

Additionally, stormwater management plans are a required part of the solar development process. These plans are prepared by professional engineers to ensure that projects do not contribute to area erosion or flooding, and are reviewed and approved as part of the permit approval process.

The owners of solar projects, such as BrightNight, are required by their lease agreements with landowners to decommission the project. In addition, many jurisdictions at either the city, county and/or state level, also require bonding be established to ensure the decommissioning of a solar project once it is no longer generating power.

Neither the county nor the landowners will be responsible for any costs associated with removing the project or restoring the land to its original condition.