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 $75,000to 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.

rPlus Energies | www.rplusenergies.com

Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company | www.greenbackercapital.com

Sundt Construction | www.sundt.com

PacifiCorp | https://www.pacificorp.com