Lightsource bp’s 180 megawatt (MW) Prairie Ronde Solar in Louisiana is now online and generating enough power for the equivalent of around 31,000 homes.
Prairie Ronde Solar in St. Landry Parish is about 30 miles north of Lafayette. It’s one of the largest solar farms in Louisiana and features US-made equipment. First Solar in Arizona manufactured the solar panels, and the tracking systems came from Array Technologies in New Mexico.
In February 2023, Lightsource bp and McDonald’s Corporation announced a Power Purchase Agreement for Prairie Ronde Solar. McDonald’s will purchase all of the solar energy the project generates, equivalent to around 630 restaurants’ worth of renewable electricity annually.
The $170 million project, which is privately funded, will bring long-term benefits to St. Landry Parish. Over its lifetime, it will generate more than $20 million for public services like schools and emergency responders. In just the first five years, $8.3 million will flow into the community. Lightsource bp will also spend $3.9 million a year to operate the site, with most of that money staying in the region.
In 2023, Lightsource bp set up a Community Fund in St. Landry Parish to support local education and development projects. That includes funding for school programs and a new Welcome Center at the local Veterans Memorial.
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