Avangrid has achieved commercial operation of the 150-MW Lund Hill solar farm in Klickitat County, Washington — now the state’s largest solar PV plant. The facility will supply Puget Sound Energy’s Green Direct program.
“Lund Hill represents a major milestone for us at Avangrid and is proof of our commitment with accelerating the energy transition in the U.S.,” said Pedro Azagra, Avangrid CEO. “We are pleased to work with Puget Sound Energy to help it meet its ambitious goals to reduce emissions and provide clean, reliable power to its customers.”
Avangrid’s facility will supply the solar for PSE’s second round offering of its Green Direct program, for which more than 40 customers have already signed up, among them six Washington state government agencies, including the Departments of Health, Ecology, and Transportation (WSDOT), among others. The initiative allows participants the ability to purchase 100% of their energy from dedicated, local, renewable energy resources.
Lund Hill is located on approximately 1,800 acres, a mix of land leased from private landowners and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, the state’s first solar power land lease.
News item from Avangrid
But why must they use raw undeveloped land for solar projects? Why not use landfills, industrial areas, parking lots, malls, prisons, and other developed areas for solar panel installation? It’s a shame to impact natural resource lands and wild areas in this way.
Transitioning to solar and wind is awesome. Being able to purchase 100% of our energy needs from these sources is amazing! It allows for the shuttering of coal fired generation, dismantling hydroelectric dams to save fish runs and the abandonment of gas fired generation. But…does that mean we will have to go to bed once the sun sets?