Sebree Solar II Energy Center Begins Operations

The 150-megawatt Kentucky solar facility began operating on August 7, 2026, supported by a nine-institution power purchase agreement.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Energy

Bold flat-color editorial illustration of rows of dark-blue solar panels stretching toward a tree line under a clear summer sky. — Sebree Solar II, a 150-megawatt Kentucky solar facility developed by NextEra Energy Resources, began operations August 7, supporting nine colleges through a power purchase agreement. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Sebree Solar II Energy Center began operations on August 7, 2026, in Henderson County, Kentucky. The 150-megawatt facility is developed by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources and is supported by nine colleges and universities through a Power Purchase Agreement.

Why it matters

The project supports the participating institutions' carbon neutrality goals and adds renewable generation to the regional grid. Electricity cannot be delivered directly to the distant campuses, so the schools rely on renewable energy credits to account for their emissions.

The Sebree Solar II facility has a 150-megawatt capacity and generates enough energy annually to power more than 20,000 homes. Swarthmore College's renewable energy credits from the project cover 85.6% of its campus electricity use, though the extraction does not report measured output since startup.

The players

NextEra Energy Resources, LLC

A major American clean energy company and the parent of the subsidiary that developed the Sebree Solar II project.

Swarthmore College

A private liberal arts college in Pennsylvania that has pursued carbon neutrality since 2012 and is the lead participating institution.

ERM Coho

The organization that coordinated the Power Purchase Agreement among the nine participating colleges and universities.

The details

Sebree Solar II is located in western Kentucky and was developed by a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources. Nine colleges and universities in North Carolina and Pennsylvania support the project through a Power Purchase Agreement coordinated by ERM Coho, and they will receive project data for classroom use, site visits, and student internships.

2012: Swarthmore College established carbon neutrality as an institutional goal.
August 7, 2026: Sebree Solar II Energy Center began operations.
2035: Swarthmore's target year for carbon neutrality.

Roadmap

The Sebree Solar II arrangement extends the carbon neutrality commitments that participating colleges have adopted, such as Swarthmore's 2012 goal, into off-site renewable procurement. Rather than relying on on-campus generation, the consortium is using a shared power purchase agreement to meet those targets.

For Kentucky residents, the facility adds renewable generation capacity and is projected to contribute more than $15.5 million in new tax revenue to Henderson County over its operating life. The project also demonstrates how institutions can use renewable energy credits to account for emissions when direct delivery of power is not feasible.

The takeaway

Off-site power purchase agreements allow institutions far from a solar site to meet carbon goals through renewable energy credits. Kentucky's Sebree Solar II shows how shared procurement can add clean capacity while supporting local tax revenue.