Rivian and Clearloop Enter Partnership for Larger Impact on Corporate Renewable Procurement

California-based Rivian and Clearloop are partnering to bring forth Rivian’s first megawatt of renewable electricity in a uniquely impactful way.

This approach brings solar energy to a part of the country where new renewable development can help to minimize system-wide carbon emissions.

The Paris Solar Farm – Puryear in Tennessee will be the first installation in Henry County, which is located on the Sun Belt roughly 100 miles east of Nashville.

The project utilizes unique approaches to financing and siting that aim to put renewables on more fossil-fueled grids where they can displace more coal and natural gas.

Rivian backed the upfront financing for one megawatt of the 6.75-megawatt project, which will cover electricity used by Rivian Waypoints chargers intended for Tennessee state parks as well as the region’s other clean energy commitments.

Power purchase agreements – long-term contracts for a certain amount of renewable power and the associated environmental attributes at a set price – have driven the lion’s share of new corporate renewable projects.

While they’ve been impactful in bringing new clean energy online, they’re scaling quickly primarily in states with liquid wholesale electricity markets or retail choices, where the majority of corporations have focused their investments.

Due to the same, a megawatt-hour of electricity in Tennessee emits around 32% more carbon than a megawatt-hour in Northern California, as per WattTime, a non-profit that keeps track of carbon emissions that renewables avoid.

And every renewable project that starts in Northern California over a place like Tennessee increases that disparity and has a lesser system-wide emissions reductions impact.

“The carbon consequences go beyond state lines,” said Andrew Peterman, Director of Renewable Energy at Rivian. “Given the urgency with which we need to transition to more sustainable energy systems, the system-wide impacts matter. That’s why we’re being thoughtful from the very first steps on our path to carbon neutrality.”

Rivian aspires to achieve carbon neutrality in its own operations – Scopes 1 and 2 as defined by the Greenhouse Gas Protocol – by 2028, and in categories within Scope 3 by 2032. Scope 3 encompasses the full value chain from suppliers to vehicle charging.