MidAmerican Solar and SunPower Corporation have started construction on what will potentially be the world’s largest solar plant to date. The Antelope Valley Solar Projects consist of two installations located in Kern and Los Angeles counties in California and the two companies recently held a community celebration to mark the start of the construction process.
The 579MW development will employ around 650 workers during a three-year construction period and will generate more than $500 million for the regional economy, most of which will be generated during construction. When complete the projects will provide enough energy to power around 400,000 average California homes.
“The Antelope Valley Solar Projects are already creating needed jobs and economic opportunity in local communities, while at the same time, providing direct, long-term environmental benefits,” said Paul Caudill, the president of MidAmerican Solar. “We look forward to continuing our involvement in the Rosamond, Lancaster and Palmdale communities and, as we move forward, in the surrounding areas. The MidAmerican Solar team is committed to working hand-in-hand with the development’s neighbors and stakeholders. We also look forward to providing a reliable source of renewable energy to our customer Southern California Edison.”
The projects are owned by MidAmerican Solar with SunPower responsible for design and development as well as being the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor. SunPower will also provide operations and maintenance services via a multiyear services agreement. Power will be supplied to Southern California Edison under two long-term power purchase agreements.
The projects are located on a 3,230-acre site on which SunPower will be installing its Oasis fully integrated modular solar technology which is designed for utility projects while minimizing land use. It incorporates the company’s solar modules on high efficiency T0 trackers which increase solar capture by up to 25 percent. The construction of the projects begain in January and is expected to be completed in late 2015. The power generated by the plants will displace around 775,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of taking around 3 million cars off the roads over the next 20 years.
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