Microsoft suppliers power NC solar farm
SkimNews Take
Large corporate buyers are effectively transferring their internal sustainability commitments to their supply chains, creating a new, indirect financing mechanism for renewable energy projects.
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- Microsoft suppliers — including Slalom Consulting, Centific Technologies, ImagiCorps, BDA, Eleven 11 Solutions, TASA Analytics, and Visionet Systems — signed long-term REC contracts to support the Baron solar project in Anson County, North Carolina
- Ever.green confirmed the 5-megawatt Baron solar farm is now operational, marking a case where collective corporate procurement enabled financial close for a small-scale solar development
- Headwater Energy will develop, own, and operate the Baron solar project, which is located 45 miles southeast of Charlotte
- Microsoft requires certain large-scale suppliers to transition to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2030 under its Supplier Code of Conduct, a policy that catalyzed the group’s participation
Why it matters: Smaller solar projects often fail to reach financial close due to lack of off-taker commitments; this deal shows that coordinated action by mid-sized buyers can fill the gap where single corporate buyers may not step in, making it materially easier to deploy distributed clean energy infrastructure.
