SALT LAKE CITY, May 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- rPlus Energies, the developer of the Graphite Solar Project near Wellington, Utah, announces a $75,000 scholarship program for the students of Carbon County, Utah. Under the inaugural program in its Local First Scholarship series, rPlus is joined by Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company and Sundt Renewables, the owner and the engineering, procurement and construction contractor, respectively, for the Graphite Solar Project located in Carbon County, the first solar project developed by rPlus Energies to reach the construction phase.

The Local First Scholarship series will be available exclusively to students residing in counties where rPlus Energies constructs a namesake project. It will support students wishing to remain local while meeting their career goals and will support rural communities in meeting their workforce needs by providing full and partial tuition scholarships to local university certificate and degree programs.

"We are very excited to kick off this first-of-its-kind scholarship and help the local community with increased job skills, allowing local students to stay in the community where they have grown up," said Luigi Resta, President & CEO of rPlus Energies.

For its Local First Scholarship – Graphite Solar program, the first in the Local First Scholarship series, rPlus Energies is partnering with Utah State University Eastern (USUE) to provide a total of $75,000 to qualifying students who are within the first 25% of their respective program/degree hours, reside in Carbon County, UT, and plan to stay local after degree or certificate completion. USUE's campus is located in Carbon County and offers an extensive certificate program that caters to local workforce needs as well as strong traditional 4-year programs.

"This scholarship will be transformative to the students who receive it," said Greg Dart, Chief Campus Administrator of Utah State University Eastern. "The commitment of rPlus Energies, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company and Sundt Renewables shows how deeply they care about this community. Their commitment to this community, this campus and these students is amazing, and we cannot thank them enough for their generosity and the impact it will have."

The Local First Scholarship – Graphite Solar program is currently open to Fall 2022 applicants through the USUE scholarship portal. Students will need to be admitted to USUE before they will be able to apply for the award. The application window closes on July 31, 2022.

About Graphite Solar
Graphite Solar is an 80 MW (ac) solar project in Carbon County, Utah. In late 2020, Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company, LLC purchased Graphite Solar from rPlus Energies, contracting rPlus to continue to manage the project through construction.

The Graphite Solar project has a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with PacifiCorp on behalf of Meta (previously Facebook). The contract was developed under Rocky Mountain Power's Schedule 34 green energy tariff, which allows large customers to purchase renewable energy generated on their behalf. Graphite Solar will be the first project developed by rPlus Energies to achieve commercial operation.

Graphite Solar has and will continue to support the local economy through increased tax revenues and continuing the community's legacy as an energy exporter for the region. rPlus is currently managing project construction and has sourced approximately 80% of the workers and available resources from the local community, with pay and benefits consistent and competitive with construction jobs in the region.

Graphite Solar's commercial operation date is scheduled for Summer 2022.

About rPlus Energies
rPlus Energies develops modern power plants to contribute to the rebuilding of America's energy infrastructure. Through partnership with the private sector, municipalities, and utilities, rPlus Energies develops utility-scale power plants to access a region's best mix of renewable resources to enable a more dispatchable and reliable power supply. rPlus Energies has over 30 projects across 15 market areas in the U.S. in active development including solar, wind, pumped storage hydro, and solar plus battery. rPlus Energies is a subsidiary of The Gardner Company, family owned and operated since 1976, which is dedicated to building better communities through thoughtful, sustainable practices in developing and managing real estate, renewable energy and technology, and providing results-oriented philanthropy. Learn more at www.rplusenergies.com.

About Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company
Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC is a publicly reporting, non-traded limited liability sustainable infrastructure company that acquires and manages income-producing renewable energy and other energy-related businesses, including solar and wind farms. We seek to invest in high-quality projects that sell clean power under long-term contract to high-creditworthy counterparties such as utilities, municipalities, and corporations. We are long-term owner-operators, who strive to be good stewards of the land and responsible members of the communities in which we operate. We believe our focus on power production and income generation creates value that we can then pass on to our shareholders—while facilitating the transition toward a clean energy future. For more information, please visit www.greenbackercapital.com.

About Sundt Construction 
Sundt Construction, Inc. (www.sundt.com) is one of the country's largest and most respected general contractors. The 132-year-old firm specializes in transportation, industrial, building, concrete and renewable energy work and is owned entirely by its approximately 1,500-plus employees. Sundt is distinguished by its diverse capabilities and experience, unique employee-ownership culture and depth of self-perform expertise in nine major trades. Much of Sundt's workforce is comprised of skilled craft professionals who, together with the company's administrative employees, enable Sundt to fulfill its mission to be the most skilled builder in America. Sundt has 12 offices throughout Arizona, California, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas and Utah and is currently ranked the country's 58th largest construction company by ENR, the industry's principal trade magazine.

About PacifiCorp 
Innovating to power a better future for the West, PacifiCorp operates the largest grid in the western United States, serving the growing energy needs of 2 million customers through 17,645 miles of transmission lines over a service area of 141,503 square miles. Our operating divisions are leaders in providing safe, reliable and sustainable low-cost power.

For More Information on Graphite Solar or rPlus Energies
Luigi Resta
[email protected]
415-602-2569

For More Information on the Local First Scholarship
Maile Resta
[email protected]
707-776-7773

For More Information on Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company
Chris Larson
[email protected]
847-313-9035

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SOURCE Rplus Energies