SunPower has received planning permission for its 25MW McHenry Solar Farm and is looking to start building work at the site in Modesto, California before the end of the year.
Construction is dependent on the receipt of all outstanding building permits and is expected to be completed by the second half of 2012. The development will create up to 144 construction jobs and inject around US$18.7 million into the local economy.
All of the electricity produced by the system will be purchased by the utility grid operator, Modesto Irrigation District (MID), thus helping the agency adhere to California's 33% renewable portfolio standard.
“Solar power adds to the diversity of MID's power mix and is an excellent fit for our customers' energy needs,” said MID's Roger VanHoy. “We have been impressed by SunPower's professionalism and knowledge to date, and are confident SunPower has the experience and technology to cost-effectively deliver a system that will reliably generate solar power for MID's customers for the next 25 years.”
“SunPower technology is fast to install, offers guaranteed performance, and is a competitively-priced choice for power,” SunPower’s president of utility and power plant business group, Howard Wenger, said. “We commend MID for seizing the opportunity to help meet the state's growing energy demand and renewable energy goals.”
The McHenry Solar Farm will use SunPower’s Oasis Power Plant integrated modular power block, which is equipped with the company’s T0 Tracker, E19 panel, smart inverter and monitoring system.
