Wednesday, 6th May 2026

PR Newswire

Longroad Energy, a U.S.-based energy developer, owner and operator, announced today that Sun Pond, its 111 MWdc solar and 85 MWac / 340 MWh storage project, has achieved commercial operations. Ava Community Energy (Ava) and San José Clean Energy (SJCE) have contracted for the output of Sun Pond via long-term Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). The project will generate enough electricity annually to power approximately 35,000 average American homes. Ava Community Energy is a not-for-profit public power provider for more than 2 million residents and businesses in California’s Alameda and San Joaquin Counties. San José Clean Energy is the not-for-profit electricity generation provider for homes and businesses in the City of San José, Santa Clara County, California. “With Sun Pond now operational, Longroad is pleased to be expanding access to renewable energy for customers in the greater Bay Area,” said Charles Spiliotis, Chief Investment Officer and co-founder of Longroad Energy. “Sun Pond’s battery storage system adds firm, flexible capacity – ensuring low-cost, clean power is available when the grid needs it most.” “The beginning of commercial operation for Sun Pond is an exciting milestone for Ava and our partnership with Longroad Energy,” said Howard Chang, CEO of Ava Community Energy. “As the first of three planned projects we’re advancing together, it brings us closer to our ambitious decarbonization goals. Just as importantly, it supports grid reliability and our ongoing commitment to deliver competitively priced renewable energy to our customers.” “Bringing Sun Pond online is another important step in delivering reliable, clean energy for our community,” said Lori Mitchell, Director of San José Clean Energy. “Projects like this help ensure we meet growing energy needs while maintaining dependable service for our residents and businesses.” Sun Pond is projected to avoid over 145,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually, the equivalent of taking nearly 34,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars off the road each year. Sun Pond is part of the Longroad Sun Streams Complex, a four-project complex totaling nearly 1.6 GW of solar and storage capacity located in Maricopa County, Arizona. The entire Longroad Sun Streams Complex is providing more than $300 million in benefits to Arizona schools and communities through its long-term leases with the Arizona State Land Department and tax remittances. Longroad employed the Gridstack battery energy storage system from U.S.-based energy storage platform provider Fluence for the Sun Pond BESS. Sun Pond utilizes First Solar’s photovoltaic modules, Nextpower’s smart trackers, and Sungrow’s solar inverters. McCarthy Building Companies (McCarthy) was the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. More than 300 people were employed across all contractors and teams at peak construction. NovaSource Power Services and Longroad’s affiliate Longroad Energy Services will provide comprehensive operations and maintenance services.