AT&T will be an anchor subscriber of DSD Renewables (DSD) for a five-project community solar portfolio in Upstate New York, the companies announced.
Under terms of the agreement, AT&T will be using 15.5 megawatts of a larger 24.1 MW portfolio. The entire portfolio is expected to generate 17.4 gigawatt-hours of clean energy each year, delivering enough electricity to power over 2,000 homes each year and offset the equivalent of 12,331 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
The community solar sites are in Cortland (5 MW), East Syracuse (2.7 MW), Medina (2.5 MW), Utica (902 kW), and Swan Lake (4.4 MW).
AT&T is one of the largest corporate buyers of renewable energy in the country, according to the carrier. The carrier is committed to being carbon neutral across its entire global operations by 2035.
The DSD Renewables agreement marks AT&T’s next step into community solar, and will offset about 61 percent of annual energy use, according to a press release.
Most telecom and related companies are looking to reduce their carbon footprints. Comcast, for example, plans to double its energy efficiency by 2030.
“We strongly believe that corporations can play a key role in helping power the communities they serve, and this agreement is one way for AT&T to do just that,” Shannon Thomas Carroll, AT&T assistant vice president of global environmental stability, said in a prepared statement.
“By working together with developers like DSD, we’re able to explore solutions outside of on-site renewables that can help us reduce environmental impacts while also supporting local communities by making solar programs more accessible. It’s a win-win for AT&T and the people we serve.”
