As we close out 2022, we reflect on a successful year with gratitude – for the dedication of our Savion team members and the partnership of our customers, landowners, and project communities.
Earlier this month, we celebrated the one-year anniversary of Shell’s acquisition of Savion. As part of the Shell family, Savion’s growing renewable energy portfolio bolsters Shell’s strategy to develop an integrated power business as it moves to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.
Savion successfully closed over 504 megawatts (MW) in solar project sale agreements this year, which is enough to power the equivalent of approximately 102,040 U.S. homes. Those figures represent a few notable publicly announced transactions, including:
- The sale of the 200 MWac Atlanta Farms Solar Project to Dominion Energy was completed mid-year, and construction is underway. Located in the Perry and Deercreek townships of Pickaway County, Ohio, the project is anticipated to power the equivalent of approximately 41,500 average Ohio homes.
- Bear Creek Solar Project in Wisconsin – developed by Savion and operated by Alliant Energy – began operation in August. Shortly after, the project made the shortlist for the 2022 Solar Builder Project of the Year Awards.
- Origis Energy and Savion, LLC announced the acquisition of two Savion solar projects located in Florida. The two 74.9 MWac utility-scale solar projects are in late-stage development.
- In September, construction of 150 MWac Wood County Solar Project was completed ahead of schedule. With the capacity to generate enough electricity to power nearly 40,000 homes, Wood County Solar Project is the second project in Wisconsin to be developed by Savion and owned and operated by Alliant Energy.
- Construction on Brazoria West Solar Project was completed. Now owned and operated by Shikun & Binui Energy, the project culminated in a celebratory ribbon-cutting on December 8th.
Beyond our project efforts, we were thrilled to announce Sarah Moser as Director of Farm Operations & Agrivoltaics. In this newly created role, Sarah leverages her midwestern roots and agricultural experience to guide the implementation of farming practices across project sites. The creation of this role formalized Savion’s commitment and existing initiatives to explore complementary land uses for developing solar generation facilities that can improve soil health, preserve farmland, and increase biodiversity.
Doubling down on our goal to support responsible land use and educate landowners about dual-land use opportunities, we also established Between the Rows, LLC (BTR), an exciting initiative to collaborate with The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) to develop best practices for crop cultivation in conjunction with utility-scale solar production. To accompany this effort, we rolled out enhancements to our Landowner Hub, providing landowners with information about our process, solar energy education, and opportunities to connect.
Although numerous market challenges persisted, the renewable energy industry experienced several important milestones, including:
- Passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which includes long-term solar and energy storage tax incentives, investments in domestic solar manufacturing, and other critical provisions. The IRA is predicted to boost the development of solar, wind, and energy storage projects by at least 20% through 2030 (BloombergNEF).
- Solar was the leader in Power Purchase Agreement announcements, representing 81% year-to-date (ACP Clean Power Quarterly)
- According to the Clean Power Quarterly Market report by the American Clean Power Association, storage had its best year on record, with 2022 installations at the end of the third quarter – nearly even with 2021 total volumes.
Deepening our commitment to the communities we serve; we were honored to provide donations of time and financial resources to various charitable organizations. A few examples included:
- The Savion team participated in the #GreatKCCleanUp, picking up 25 tires, 62 pounds of glass, and a lot of trash to help keep Kansas City clean.
- Thelma’s Kitchen: Our team provided a $1,200 scholarship through our Culture Committee, matched with $1,200 from employee contributions + 50 volunteer service hours. More than 200 meals were prepped and boxed, providing an additional 200 meals for needy individuals.
- Contribution to relief efforts for those impacted by the devastating floods in Kentucky through the Team Eastern Kentucky Relief Fund.
- Savion joined the Mechanicsburg, Ohio, area and surrounding communities in celebrating the opening of Solar Project Center – a community connection hub aimed at bringing people together through solar energy education and providing information about Savion’s solar energy projects in central Ohio. The public is welcome and encouraged to drop in during business hours to ask questions or browse the educational resources.
With continued strong federal policies, cost declines, commercial and private demand, and interest from global energy producers, the U.S. renewable energy market continues to grow at a record pace. Thank you again to our Savion team, customers, partners, vendors, project host communities, and landowners for the continued hard work, support, and tireless commitment to advancing solar energy and battery storage facility deployment over the past year.
We wish all of you a happy, healthy, and safe 2023. Please enjoy our 2022 Savion Year in Review Video.