CleanTechnica reported on AEE member Microsoft's announcement that it had signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) for 315 megawatts (MW) of energy from the 500 MW Pleinmont I and II solar farms in Virginia, calling it the “single largest corporate purchase of solar energy ever in the United States.”

The solar energy PPA is being contracted with sPower to secure 315 MW of the energy generated by sPower's Pleinmont I and II solar farms to help power Microsoft's local data centers and office buildings. The Pleinmont I and II deal also marks Microsoft’s second solar deal in Virginia following a March 2016 agreement to secure Renewable Energy Certificates from Dominion Energy’s 20-MW Remington Solar Farm.

"This announcement is groundbreaking for advanced energy in Virginia,” added Harrison Godfrey, executive director of the business group Virginia Advanced Energy Economy. “Not only will this investment nearly double the amount of installed solar capacity in the Commonwealth, but with it Microsoft and sPower will also provide a new way for other energy purchasers to buy into, and benefit from, the secure, clean, affordable energy these solar facilities provide.”

See the full CleanTechnica story here, plus coverage by Utility Dive here.