Boise, Idaho - February 14, 2014 - Westlands Solar, a utility-scale solar project developed by Clēnera, started commercial operations on February 14, 2014. This 23.12 MWdc solar project is situated on 92.3 acres of land in Huron, California and will generate 214.12 GWh of electricity for Fresno County through a long-term power purchase agreement with Pacific Gas and Electric, Clēnera’s utility partner.
Westlands Solar was one of three projects chosen for Pacific Gas and Electric’s 2011 solar PV program solicitation. All three of these projects, Westlands Solar Farms included, were capped at 20 MWac to avoid the permitting challenges that come with building larger projects. This allowed for the project to be constructed quickly and took away the need to build new transmission lines since the solar project could be located near existing open-capacity power grids.
76,640 solar modules on a ground-mount system make up Westlands Solar, which was constructed on farmland with excellent solar resources, but uncertain water supplies. This solar project was constructed rather quickly, with more than 1.5MW installed per day during peak construction, which is the equivalent to installing 5,000 modules each day. The solar plant is connected by a half-mile-long generation tie and transmission line from the substation into a new 70kW switchyard. Nearly 150 construction jobs were created in this area that was experiencing high unemployment at the time.
Pacific Gas and Electric expects Westlands Solar to generate more than 42,000 MWh per year, which is enough power to supply 4,000 California homes with clean energy. Additionally, the affordable clean energy being produced by this solar project will assist in avoiding over 325 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
“One of our main priorities is to make our partners clean energy leaders in their communities, which is what we are helping PG&E achieve. We continuously strive to make heroes around us - an idea that really defines what this new era of clean energy is,” said Clēnera’s Adam Pishl, Chief Operating Officer.
About Clēnera
Clenera, LLC (“Clēnera”) is a privately-held renewable energy company headquartered in Boise, Idaho. Clēnera acquires, develops, builds and manages utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities throughout the United States. Combining breakthrough technology with a deeply integrated team approach, Clēnera provides reliable, affordable energy systems and helps its utility partners become clean energy leaders in their communities. Clēnera’s current operating portfolio exceeds 1.3 GW, with more than 14 GW of solar and storage assets in development. Learn more at www.clenera.com.
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