Impact REC agreements such as this one are designed to channel clean energy resources into regions poised for new solar development and contribute to local community initiatives. Rivian's partnership enables additional solar projects to be strategically developed in locations with few solar resources. According to the EPA, the region of the electric grid where the solar projects will be located is 67% dirtier than the U.S. grid as a whole, meaning that the region emits two-thirds more greenhouse gases from fossil fuels than other areas. By supporting these new-build distributed solar projects through this REC purchase agreement and community solar subscription, Rivian will have an outsized impact on emissions reductions in this region. The new community solar projects are expected to generate an average of 79,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of clean electricity per year, equivalent to powering 10,892 households annually.
The two companies will invest $5,000 per MW built in local community organizations. The donations tied to each MW constructed will go to support local community-based organizations working to reduce energy burden for low-income families, developing workforce development pathways into the solar industry for local residents and groups working at the intersection of agriculture and energy production.
This partnership serves as a template for how to scale renewable resources to match growing demand from electric vehicle growth. Rivian's decarbonization strategy includes plans to enable 2 gigawatts of renewable energy in support of EV charging – enough to power at least 7 billion miles of renewable driving with R1 vehicles every year.
Rivian's manufacturing facility in Normal, Illinois, aims to operate with greater than 90% carbon free energy on an hourly basis and will run on 100% renewable energy annually by 2030. As demonstrated in Rivian's Power with Purpose paper written in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Rivian's '3C' strategy values more than just the megawatt-hours from projects and instead seeks to maximize benefits for communities, conservation and climate. Partnering with Pivot Energy represents a significant step in this process.
"For Rivian, one focused pursuit drives both our business success and positive impact: accelerating the global transition to 100% carbon free transportation and energy," said Andrew Peterman, Director of Advanced Energy Solutions at Rivian.
"Our partnership with Pivot shows how we go one step further by investing in projects that not only deliver additional clean energy to the grid, but also drive positive benefits for communities, conservation and the climate."
