Video game subscriptions support 110-MW solar project buildout in Texas

A new solar project in Hill County, Texas is getting an unusual source of financial backing: video game subscriptions. A platform called SuperPower lets gamers pay into a subscription that helps fund clean energy projects, and thousands of players collectively supported the new 110-megawatt Three W Solar Project through this arrangement. The deal was arranged through Ever.green, a marketplace that connects buyers with renewable energy projects, and the project itself was developed by Mitsui & Co.

The project has just started operating and is expected to generate about 280,000 megawatt-hours of electricity a year, feeding into the Texas grid operator ERCOT. It sits on farmland not used for other purposes, and the site uses sheep grazing to manage vegetation instead of mowing equipment.

For homeowners, this isn't a program you can sign up for or a rebate tied to your house. It's a look at how clean energy financing is changing: deals that used to require large corporations or utilities are now being pieced together from smaller contributions, in this case from gamers rather than big companies. It doesn't affect your electric bill, your home's energy setup, or any incentives available to you directly. It's simply a sign that more types of buyers, even everyday consumers through platforms like this one, are finding ways to help fund new solar power on the grid.