USG Corporation (NYS: USG) , a leading building products company, has entered into a Solar Energy Power Purchase and Sale Agreement (PPA) with Green Light Plaster City Solar 1 LLC (GLPCS1), a wholly owned subsidiary of Green Light Energy Corp. (“GLEC”), to install a solar facility at its Plaster City, Calif. manufacturing plant. The one megawatt photovoltaic (PV) system will provide USG with predictable cost for the portion of electricity supplied by the PV system for the next 20 years.

Through the PPA, GLPCS1 along with local engineering firm, ZGlobal, Inc. (“ZGlobal”), will install solar cells on eight acres of USG’s Plaster City’s site. Installation began in September and should be completed by December.

“We are always looking for opportunities for our plants to use solar energy, and it made a lot of sense to move forward with this renewable energy investment at our manufacturing plant in Plaster City,” said Al Zucco, senior director, Energy and Sustainability, USG. “This is an exciting project that demonstrates USG’s environmental stewardship and commitment to maintain environmentally-friendly operations.”

The GLPCS1 and ZGlobal solar project in Plaster City is part of an effort that the two companies are working on to provide renewable energy solutions throughout California and specifically the Imperial Valley. Currently the Imperial Irrigation District (IID) supports and provides all of the USG plant’s energy. IID rates are expected to increase, at an unknown rate, but with the PPA, USG will have predictable pricing for energy produced by the solar PV system.

“GLPCS1 is a firm believer in utilizing renewable energy resources and is proud to support USG in its effort towards building a sustainable renewable energy source for its Plaster City plant,” said Jeremy Vaa, President and CEO, GLEC.

“We at ZGlobal are delighted to be working with GLPCS1 and USG to bring this distributed generation solar project online,” said Ziad Alaywan, President, ZGlobal, Inc. “This project is an example of how well environmental sustainability balances with opportunities to reduce rising energy costs.”

In addition to improving the environmental profile of USG’s Plaster City plant, the project is expected to save the company more than $1MM over the 20-year life of the project through lowered electricity costs.

 S&C Electric Company, a global leader in renewable energy integration, today announces a $9.7 million USD project with Green States Energy for construction of a 4.1-MW solar photovoltaic farm inSandwich, Mass. This project will help Massachusetts reach its larger goal of developing 400 MW of solar photovoltaic power in the Commonwealth.

In 2003, Massachusetts was one of the first states to adopt a renewable energy portfolio standard (RPS), which requires distribution utilities and competitive suppliers to obtain a percentage of their electricity from qualifying units. In 2010, the state issued new regulations that carved out a portion of the RPS to support the growth of in-state solar photovoltaic energy.

GSE’s Sandwich solar project qualifies to receive the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate (SRECs) units issued through the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER). Utilities can purchase these SRECs to meet the state’s RPS goal. GSE’s goal is to start selling the SRECs by January 1, 2014, which required them to select a partner that could meet an aggressive three-month deadline for building the solar farm.

S&C recently completed construction on Green States Energy’s 2.5 MW solar farm in Roswell, N.M., a project under a turnkey, fixed-price contract,” says Stephen Clevett, CEO, Green States Energy. “Due to the success of that project, we were able to quickly transition the S&C project team to the Sandwich, Mass., site so that it could be completed by the end of the year.”

S&C was also chosen by GSE for its experience working with and conducting solar interconnection studies for the local utility serving the Sandwich, Mass., project. These studies are required when evaluating the feasibility of connecting large amounts of variable generation, like solar PV, to the grid.

“When building a solar farm, it’s important to understand utility interconnection requirements upfront, engineer a successful project and finish construction on time in order to maximize return on investment,” says Dan Girard, director, Business Development—Renewable Energy and Energy Storage, S&C. “S&C has a proven track record of being a dependable start-to-finish partner for these kinds of renewable projects, and we’re happy to have the opportunity to work with Green States Energy on another project.”

The project team will be led by S&C, which will provide engineering, procurement and project management services for both the AC and DC portions of the project. Charlotte, N.C.,-based Green Earth Developers LLC is providing physical construction services including installation of the racking systems, solar panels and construction management of the DC systems and AC interconnection.

USG Corp. will soon be going solar at its Plaster City, Calif., plant through a power-purchase agreement (PPA) with Green Light Plaster City Solar 1 (GLPCS1). The building materials giant will take advantage of a 1 megawatt PV plant installed on its campus by Green Light Energy Corp and engineering firm ZGlobal. The project began in September and is slated for completion in December.

USG is one of the largest building and remodeling supply companies, prividing drywall, ceiling panels and flooring, amongst other products for both homes and businesses. As such, it only makes sense that the company would turn to the sun for production of some of its building materials, particularly as grid-supplied electric prices are anticipated to raise. “The 1 megawatt photovoltaic system will provide USG with predictable costs for the portion of electricity supplied by the PV system for the next 20 years,” a spokesperson for the company said.