Scout Clean Energy Hosts a Ribbon Cutting to Celebrate the Firm’s First Operational Solar Energy Project

The 209 MWdc Markum Solar Farm Utilizes Innovative Agricultural Practices

CHINA SPRING, Texas, Nov. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Scout Clean Energy (“Scout”) and project stakeholders gathered at the company’s first ever completed solar energy project, the 209 MWdc Markum Solar Farm located in Bosque and McLennan Counties in Texas, for a ribbon cutting ceremony honoring the six years of hard work and collaboration that contributed to the project’s achievement of commercial operation last week. Markum is currently generating enough electricity for the ERCOT grid to power approximately 32,000 homes annually.

Markum Solar Groundbreaking. Photo Courtesy: Scout Clean Energy

“We couldn’t be prouder to celebrate achieving commercial operations of our first ever solar project with everyone who made it possible,” said Michael Rucker, Founder and CEO of Scout Clean Energy. “Every grid-scale energy project is a massive, years-long undertaking, and we’re grateful to everyone who helped bring Markum to the finish line here in Texas.”

Scout acquired the project in 2021 from L-Bar-L Ranch, owned by the Linn family, who initially self-developed the project and spoke at the event. In addition to successfully laying the groundwork for the project’s future success, the Linn family used Markum as an opportunity to convert the ranch from an award-winning grassfed beef operation into a high-performing solar energy asset where they could utilize their sheep for vegetative management. The Linn family gave attendees of the ribbon cutting an opportunity to meet some of the sheep that will be grazing the site.

“The Linn family has been in agriculture for over 120 years and looks forward to merging agriculture and green energy to continue legacy ranching for generations to come,” said the Linn family in a joint statement. “Lonestar Lambscaping, owned by the Linn family, is proud to bring our award-winning conservation ranching traditions to the emerging market of Agrivoltaics.”

Scout partnered with Mortenson in the construction of Markum, a 13-month effort that started last year. Scout and the project team completed construction with zero recordable incidents, a remarkable achievement that emphasizes the company’s commitment to making safety the top priority.

“We are pleased with the successful completion of Scout Clean Energy’s Markum solar project. This achievement underscores our commitment to delivering high-quality renewable energy solutions,” said Eric Grenz, vice president and general manager at Mortenson. “The Markum solar project not only represents a significant milestone in our partnership with Scout Clean Energy but also contributes to a more sustainable future by providing clean, reliable energy to the community. Our team’s dedication and hard work were instrumental in bringing this project to fruition, and we are proud to play a role in advancing renewable energy infrastructure.”

Also attending and speaking at the event were members of the team at Colgate-Palmolive, who last year signed an agreement to purchase all power generated from Markum. The power purchase agreement represents another step in the company’s plan to achieve targets of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040 and 100% renewable electricity across their global operations by 2030.

About Scout Clean Energy

Scout Clean Energy is a leading renewable energy developer-owner-operator headquartered in Boulder, Colorado responsible for the development of approximately 1,400 megawatts of operating and under construction renewable energy assets in the US, 800 megawatts of which the company owns and operates. Led by renewable energy veterans, Scout is currently developing a pipeline of approximately 19,000 megawatts of wind, solar and storage projects across 25 states. Scout is a portfolio company managed by Brookfield Asset Management, which acquired Scout in 2022. For more information, please visit www.scoutcleanenergy.com.

Media Contact: Will Patterson [email protected]
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SOURCE Scout Clean Energy