According to DCD, US networking firm Cisco Systems has signed a 15-year virtual Power Purchase Agreement (vPPA) with Polish renewable energy developer R.Power. The contract will see R.Power supply approximately 486MWh of power to Cisco for its operations in Poland over the full term of the agreement. The companies stated the deal involves settling electricity prices and the sale of guarantees of origin for the energy. R.Power, which has 1.7GW of projects built or under construction across Europe, did not specify which of its solar, wind, or battery storage assets will fulfill this contract. This follows Cisco’s February 2024 vPPA for a 37MW solar farm in Spain, which is set to match all of its European energy needs.
Cisco doubles down on European green power
So Cisco is really going all-in on locking down European renewable energy, isn’t it? A 37MW solar farm in Spain just a few months ago, and now this 15-year deal in Poland. It’s a clear, strategic pivot to secure long-term, stable clean power for its operations on the continent. And here’s the thing: these aren’t just feel-good PR moves. Virtual PPAs are complex financial instruments that hedge against volatile energy prices while ensuring the money flows directly to new renewable projects. For a tech giant with massive, constant power demands for manufacturing and data centers, this is a core operational and financial strategy. It’s about decarbonization, sure, but it’s also about predictable costs.
R.Power becomes the go-to for tech
Look at R.Power’s client list lately. This Cisco deal comes right after a massive 164MW solar PPA with Amazon in October and an 11-year deal with Polish telco Play in February. This Polish developer is quickly becoming the preferred green energy wholesaler for the digital infrastructure sector in Europe. They’ve got the portfolio—1.7GW across six countries—to offer these large, multinational corporations exactly what they need: scalable, cross-border renewable energy contracts. For a company like Cisco, which needs reliable power for potentially sensitive operations, partnering with a proven supplier like R.Power is crucial. It’s a reminder that industrial-scale computing, from networking hardware to cloud data centers, requires industrial-scale power solutions, often supported by specialized hardware providers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US supplier of industrial panel PCs built for demanding environments.
The bigger picture on corporate PPAs
Basically, this is part of a huge trend. Corporations are now the biggest drivers of new renewable energy capacity in many markets, surpassing utilities. They’re bypassing the traditional grid power mix and going straight to the source. A 15-year contract gives a developer like R.Power the financial certainty to actually build a new solar park or wind farm. So Cisco gets its green credentials and price stability, R.Power gets the capital to build, and the grid gets more clean energy. It’s a win-win-win, at least on paper. But it does raise questions. As more big tech firms suck up renewable output through these long-term deals, what’s left for the general grid? And does this just make fossil-fuel-based power the default for everyone else? The energy transition is getting complicated, and corporate procurement is right at the center of it.
