Sysco Corp., Houston, Texas, announced that its solar garden sites in the Houston and Dallas areas are fully-constructed and operational. The three sites, named collectively “Sysco Power Patch,” are part of a 25 megawatt, 10-year renewable energy agreement with a subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc., Houston, Texas. The project will support the majority of Sysco’s electricity load in Texas, including its corporate headquarters.

The “Sysco Power Patch” sites, which was first announced in July 2018, took six months to build, and created 190 jobs during the peak of construction in 2018. The project sites are on 224 total acres and feature 201,792 solar panels. The sites will support approximately 10% of Sysco’s U.S. electricity usage, achieving half of the company’s 2025 responsibility goal of 20% renewable energy by 2025.

“We are committed to providing our customers with energy solutions that help achieve their goals,” says Mauricio Gutierrez, president and CEO, NRG Energy. “It is our honor to support the advancement of Sysco’s corporate responsibility strategy with a customized approach to renewable power.”

“We are extremely proud to have the Sysco Power Patch sites operational and generating renewable energy,” says Tom Bené, Sysco’s chairman, president and CEO. “These sites will reduce our carbon footprint in order to protect and preserve the environment for future generations. Further, this project demonstrates Sysco’s commitment to corporate social responsibility and helps as we work to ‘Deliver A Better Tomorrow.’”