Politico: California’s Farming Heartland Goes Solar

A massive proposed solar installation that Westlands Water District is promoting in California's San Joaquin Valley, pictured from above, could help growers adapt to reduced water allocations.Wes Venteicher/POLITICO

BY: CAMILLE VON KAENEL AND WES VENTEICHER

Facing a future with less water, the country’s largest agricultural water district is turning from growing nuts, vegetables, fruit and beef to a new crop: solar power…

…The project is in the early planning stages and is structured to let different solar developers take up different pieces of the installation — and to let wary farmers dip a toe into uncharted economic waters.

The developer, Golden State Clean Energy, says it has about 60,000 acres from farmers since it started signing them up last year, as well as about 70,000 acres owned by Westlands itself…

…Solar developments already occupy some of the dusty plots situated next to working farmland in the project area. But those kinds of isolated projects have mostly stopped due to the shortage of power lines and substations, said [Jon] Reiter….

…“To add the size and scale of the resources we must add as a state between now and 2045, we need to do something like this,” said Golden State Clean Energy chief operating officer Patrick Mealoy.

Golden State Clean Energy is taking a “master plan” approach that is unique in the state, said Mealoy. It is handling leases, entitlements, permits and regulatory work to prepare for individual solar developments. Companies including Golden State would submit competitive bids to develop specific projects that together will add up to the grand total of as much as 20 gigawatts — enough to power somewhere around 15 million homes…

…To build it at the speed the developers think is possible — 10 years — will require the California Independent System Operator to speed up permitting of new projects in its interconnection queue and to start advancing transmission to carry power from the San Joaquin Valley to Los Angeles and the Bay Area…

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