Boise, Idaho - July 24, 2014 - Clēnera’s Blue Renewable Energy solar project at Indianapolis Motor Speedway officially entered commercial operations on July 24, 2014 with a capacity of 11.21 megawatts. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway solar farm is located on 54 acres of land that are adjacent to the backstretch of the famed 2.5 mile oval track. This land was chosen due to its under-utilization and having no specific development plan in place.
The Indianapolis Motor Speedway made history when it was first built, and it made history again with the installation of this 39,314 module solar project. After this solar project entered commercial operations, Indianapolis Motor Speedway positioned itself as the largest solar farm at any sporting facility in the world.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s president, J. Douglas Boles commented on this in a news release: “In 1909, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway was constructed in part to help advance the automotive industry, which at that time was the new technology of the day. Today, IMS is honored to be part of a partnership with IPL, SunWize and Blue Renewable Energy where innovation and technology are coming together to bring diversification of generation resources to this community.”
Clēnera and Swinerton Renewable Energy completed the engineering and construction on the project, which is backed by a power purchase agreement with Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL).
“Solar generation is an important component of IPL’s commitment to developing renewable generation resources,” said Ken Zagzebski, President of AES’ U.S. Strategic Business Unit, parent company of IPL in a news release. “The new IMS solar farm will be a constant reminder to those who visit the largest spectator sporting facility in the world of the creative solutions taking place here in Indianapolis to increase sustainability.”
This project has the ability to meet the energy needs of 2,700 Indianapolis Power & Light customer homes per month, and offset 10,288 tons of carbon annually.
About Clēnera
Clenera, LLC (“Clēnera”) is a privately-held renewable energy company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Clēnera acquires, develops, builds and manages utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities throughout the United States. Combining breakthrough technology with a deeply integrated team approach, Clēnera provides reliable, affordable energy systems and helps its utility partners become clean energy leaders in their communities. Clēnera’s current operating portfolio exceeds 1.3 GW, with more than 14 GW of solar and storage assets in development. Learn more at www.clenera.com.
About Indianapolis Motor Speedway
The Indianapolis Motor SPeedway has been the worldwide leader in motorsports entertainment since it opened in 1909. The facility has hosted the Indianapolis 500, the world’s largest single-day annual sporting event, since 1911 and also is the site of the Crown Royal Presents the “Your Hero’s Name Here” 400 at the Brickyard and the Red Bull Indianapolis GP. The NASCAR Nationwide Series and GRAND-AM Road Racing also race at the Speedway. IMS is the world’s largest spectator sporting facility and is the only venue to stage annual races in the IZOD IndyCar Series, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series, GRAND-AM Road Racing and MotoGP.
About Indianapolis Power & Light Company and AES
Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL), an AES Company, provides retail electric service to more than 500,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Indianapolis, as well as portions of other Central Indiana communities surrounding Marion County. During its long history, IPL has supplied its customers with some of the lowest-cost, most reliable power in the country. For more information about the company, please visit www.IPLpower.com or connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) is a Fortune 500 global power company. We provide affordable, sustainable energy to 14 countries through our diverse portfolio of distribution businesses as well as thermal and renewable generation facilities. Our workforce is committed to operational excellence and meeting the world’s changing power needs. Our 2019 revenues were $10 billion and we own and manage $34 billion in total assets. To learn more, please visit www.aes.com. Follow AES on Twitter @TheAESCorp.
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