The 9.8-megawatt facility will be constructed on 60 acres of ground near the Campbell plant. Campbell will lease the land to BNB, which will own the system and be responsible for its financing, construction, operation and maintenance. Under the agreement, Campbell will purchase 100 percent of the electrical power generated by the system, which is expected to provide approximately 15 percent of the electricity the plant requires annually. FirstEnergy Solutions will purchase the Solar Renewable Energy Credits from the project. Over the course of 20 years, Campbell will save up to $4 million based on US Department of Energy projections for the cost of electricity in Northwest Ohio. The project will eliminate approximately 250,000 metric tons of CO2 greenhouse gas emissions in the region.
The state-of-the-art equipment in the plant was designed to process sweet potatoes in the most efficient and environmentally responsible way-key for long-term, economic sustainability. When in complete operation, the plant will convert fresh sweet potatoes into consumer and restaurant products prepared from frozen product.