The phrase is out. Renewable power is in and now everybody needs to get in on the sport. This week, there have been information studies about corporations we don’t usually affiliate with local weather motion queuing up so as to add solar energy to their operations.

The extra cynical members of the CleanTechnica employees (which is just about all of us), see this as a type of greenwashing. “Hey, hey. Look over right here! We’re working arduous to cut back our emissions by utilizing extra renewable power whereas we proceed to spew megatons of carbon dioxide into the ambiance.” The response across the koi pond right here at our lavish world headquarters has been equal to the sound of 1 hand clapping.

Peacock Photo voltaic Brings Renewable Vitality To Corpus Christi

In a press launch dated September 26, 2023, BP proudly introduced it has begun development of a 187 MW photo voltaic set up. That’s good. When accomplished in the summertime of 2024, the renewable power from the brand new Peacock Photo voltaic challenge will assist energy a Gulf Coast Progress Ventures petrochemical complicated on the Gulf Coast of Texas. That’s not so good. The challenge is anticipated to create round 300 jobs throughout development and supply greater than $25 million in tax income over the primary 25 years of the its life.

At full capability, renewable power from Peacock photo voltaic might keep away from greater than 256,000 metric tons of greenhouse gasoline emissions annually. It’s anticipated to create as much as 300 jobs throughout development and supply greater than $25 million in tax income over the primary 25 years of the challenge’s life. The press launch says, “the brand new photo voltaic farm situated 10 miles north of Corpus Christi in San Patricio County, Texas, will assist help the worldwide transition to decrease carbon power.”

Peacock will promote the entire electrical energy it generates beneath a long run energy buy settlement to Gulf Coast Progress Ventures, a three way partnership between ExxonMobil and SABIC, which produces supplies used to fabricate garments, meals containers, packaging, agricultural movie, and development supplies.

Sharp-eyed readers will discover that not one electron from Peacock will profit the local people or maintain air conditioners working as the surface temperatures soar. And 256,000 metric tons is a pisshole within the snow in comparison with the emissions GCGV will likely be accountable for. So, ought to renewable power advocates be blissful about this information or not?

What’s GCGV?

For extra on that matter, let’s flip to a report within the Corpus Christi Caller Occasions, which says GCGV is a three way partnership between ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia’s Fundamental Industries Company, referred to as SABIC.  On its web site, SABIC says, “Ranked among the many world’s largest petrochemicals producers, SABIC is a public firm based mostly in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with 70% of the corporate’s shares owned by Saudi Aramco, with the remaining 30% publicly traded on the Saudi inventory alternate.” The corporate operates in about 50 international locations and has a world workforce of greater than 31,000 workers.

Hmmm…ExxonMobil and Saudi Arabia? Not names that spring to thoughts when pursuing a discount in carbon emissions. This smacks of Exxon’s newest try to wrap itself on a inexperienced mantle, now that it has shut down its “gasoline from algae” analysis program. And Saudi Arabia, in fact, is house to all however one of many terrorists who introduced down the World Commerce Heart in 2021. It additionally offers with dissent by murdering its critics and chopping them up into little items with a bone noticed. What great neighbors for the parents who stay in and round Corpus Christi.

“We need to be good stewards of the environment,” mentioned Andrew Mitton, technical supervisor at GCGV, in a press release this week. “As soon as on-line, the photo voltaic generated electrical energy will likely be used to partially energy our plant and assist scale back emissions in help of a web zero future.” Don’t maintain your breath, individuals. (Though in case you stay within the space, you would possibly need to.) For Exxon Mobil and SABIC, web zero is one thing they envision occurring someday within the subsequent century, after each molecule of oil and methane gasoline has been extracted and burned.

BP (which introduced us the Deepwater Horizon catastrophe) needed to get in on the excellent news. Dave Lawler, chairman of bp America, mentioned in a press release this week, “Securing this settlement and kicking off development of Peacock helps help the transition to decrease carbon power, whereas benefiting native communities and the financial system. It’s one other method bp is accelerating development of our US photo voltaic era capability, investing in America, and advancing our transformation to an built-in power firm.”

“GCGV conservatively calculates it will scale back our emissions about 130 kTA, the equal of taking about 29,000 vehicles off the highway for a yr,” the manufacturing facility’s managers mentioned of their information launch. “That’s an affect of about 5% of the location’s complete greenhouse gasoline emissions.” Woo-hoo! Get away the champagne! Don’t let the prospect of an overheating planet scare you. BP, ExxonMobil, and Saudi Arabia have our backs.

Particulars About Peacock Photo voltaic

PCL Development, the principle engineering, procurement, and development contractor for the challenge, will set up ultra-low carbon photo voltaic panels and trackers from US-based producers First Photo voltaic and GameChange Photo voltaic, respectively. Peacock can even be house to a spread of agricultural and biodiversity actions, together with:

• planting vegetation beneath and across the photo voltaic panels, together with native plant species helpful to pollinators and different wildlife
• aiming to enhance habitat worth, species composition, soil well being and total ecosystem capabilities on the photo voltaic farm
• sheep grazing on the web site to profit the native rural financial system and maintain the farmland in manufacturing – such practices are referred to as agrivoltaics.

BP says photo voltaic will play an vital function in its renewable power and energy transition development engine. Peacock is a part of its goal to put money into and construct renewable power capability of fifty GW worldwide by 2030. In response to the Photo voltaic Vitality Industries Affiliation, Texas ranks second within the nation for solar energy and is poised so as to add 40 GW over the subsequent 5 years. Renewable power initiatives like Peacock assist diversify the state’s power era combine, bettering the grid’s power safety and reliability, bp says.

The Takeaway

Utilizing renewables to energy a three way partnership involving ExxonMobil and SABIC simply feels mistaken on so many ranges. It’s like utilizing renewable power to energy fracking operations within the Permian basin, which looks like a perversion reasonably than progress towards a sustainable planet.

The largest concern we’ve right here at CleanTechnica is that firms will cover behind a number of MW of renewable electrical energy to tug individuals’s consideration away from the truth that they’re blasting big quantities of carbon dioxide into the ambiance 24 hours a day.

Greenwashing is an actual downside right now, with corporations speaking out of each side of their mouths to allow them to proceed doing enterprise as standard. It’s a sport that must be uncovered for what it’s — mendacity. Don’t fall for his or her lies. We haven’t acquired time to waste on silly thoughts video games from grasping firms.