PPG announced a 10-year agreement with Constellation, a leading competitive energy and energy solutions provider, in which PPG will power its Carollton, Texas, paint manufacturing facility with renewable energy from the 200 MW Big Star Solar Project currently under development in Bastrop County, Texas.
“We commend PPG on taking proactive measures to reduce its carbon footprint and make a positive impact on the environment,” says Mark Huston, president of Constellation’s National Retail Business. “We’re pleased to offer this clean energy solution as a means to enable major commercial customers like PPG to deliver on their sustainability goals.”
Through the agreement, PPG will receive energy and project-specific renewable energy certificates from Big Star as part of their retail electricity supply contract with Constellation. The deal is made possible by a separate long-term agreement between Constellation and project developer RWE Renewables under which Constellation will purchase a 140-megawatt portion of the energy generated by Big Star to supply several large commercial customers. The solar project is expected to achieve commercial operation by the second quarter of 2022.
PPG will procure approximately 4.6 million kilowatt hours of clean energy per year from Big Star, avoiding more than 3,200 metric tons of carbon emissions annually. That is equivalent to removing more than 700 cars from the roads, according to EPA estimates. To simplify the purchase, PPG will use the Constellation Offsite Renewables retail power product, which increases businesses’ access to renewable energy projects by removing hurdles associated with traditional offsite power purchase agreements.
“At PPG, one of our 2025 sustainability goals is to increase renewable energy to 25 percent of total electricity usage, exclusive of greenhouse gas reductions,” says Diane Kappas, PPG vice president, Global Sustainability. “Our collaboration with Constellation will allow us to contribute to that goal, with the intent to expand renewable energy at other PPG locations across the U.S.”
Headquartered in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, PPG has developed and delivered paints, coatings and materials for more than 135 years. PPG reported record-breaking quarterly sales in the first and second quarters of 2021, and was recently named to Forbes’ 2021 “Best Employers for Women” list.
