Construction begins on Lightsource bp’s 13-MW California solar project

Lightsource bp has mobilized construction on its Wildflower Solar project located in Rio Linda, about 10 miles north of Sacramento, California.

All of the electricity generated by the 16.5-MW_dc/13-MW_ac project, enough to power about 2,600 homes, will be purchased by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) through a long-term power contract. SMUD is one of the largest community-owned, not-for-profit, electric service providers in the United States.

SMUD will use the power purchased from Wildflower to support its Neighborhood SolarShares program that can provide solar to new housing developments through an off-site utility-scale solar project. The community solar program gives developers the ability to deliver the environmental benefits of solar power without having to install it on every rooftop.

“This program provides options to builders and a net benefit to potential homebuyers, all while providing clean power to our community. The state of California and the Sacramento region are facing an affordable housing crisis and our low-cost solar option provides a valuable tool to lower the construction costs of new homes while supporting carbon reduction goals,” said Arlen Orchard, CEO and general manager of SMUD.

“The affordability of solar, combined with its generation of emissions-free electricity has made it an ideal source to add to our country’s energy mix. Adding on benefits such as community solar programs that help contribute to affordable housing, along with implementing long-term land management plans that enhance local biodiversity, are all ways that we can work together to multiply solar’s contribution to our nation’s economy and environment,” said Kevin Smith, CEO of the Americas for Lightsource bp

Local jobs

Project construction is underway, with commercial operation expected by the end of 2020. Construction Innovations, one of the largest locally based U.S. manufacturers of specialized electrical systems, has partnered with local contractors to build the project.

The project will employ more than 75 on-site construction team members from the local community during peak construction, in addition to supporting full-time manufacturing jobs within Construction Innovations’ Sacramento facility. Founded in Sacramento in 2011, Construction Innovations has provided the electrical systems needed to power over 6% of all solar capacity nationwide.

Pollinator-friendly solar

Lightsource bp creates customized long-term land and environmental management plans for solar farms that aim to maintain, as well as develop, plant and wildlife habitats to provide a net gain for local biodiversity. The plan for Wildflower Solar will be to create a pollinator-friendly solar farm, designed in collaboration with ecology experts to restore and conserve pollinator habitat.

Here in California as well as around the world, habitat loss and climate change have caused pollinator populations to decline. Over 85% of the world’s flowering plants, including more than two-thirds of the world’s crop species, are dependent on pollinators, so declining populations have detrimental effects on food systems worldwide.

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory have found that stable pollinator populations facilitated by pollinator-friendly solar farms allowed nearby agricultural land to be pollinated and, ultimately, boosted crop yields.

News item from Lightsource bp