The Solar Star development projects, which are co-located in Kern and Los Angeles counties in California, are owned by MidAmerican Solar. SunPower responsible for designing and constructing the projects, and it will also provide operations and maintenance services.
Construction on the projects, which began in early 2013, is expected to be complete by year-end 2015. When finished, the 579-megawatt Solar Star projects are expected to have more than 1.7 million panels installed, covering 3,230 acres. MidAmerican Solar estimates that the projects will provide electricity equivalent to powering nearly 255,000 average California households. What's more, the development is expected to generate more than $500 million in regional economic benefits, the majority of which will be generated during construction. Southern California Edison will purchase electricity from the projects under two long-term power purchase contracts.
Mike Fehr, MidAmerican Solar's general manager at the Solar Star projects, said the achievement is significant in that It represents a big step in helping California meet its mandate to generate 33 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2020.
"We want to thank the many stakeholders that made this milestone possible, including California ISO, Southern California Edison, county officials, local community members and contractors," Fehr noted. "We remain committed to safely constructing one of the
largest solar developments in the world in the Antelope Valley area."