March 18,2016-
Westlands Solar Park (WSP),a Visalia-based solar development group, is urging regulators to build transmission infrastructure to connect the increasing load of solar power projects in and around Westland Water District.The group is meeting this month with California energy regulators who are discussing how and where to meet the state’s 50% goal for renewable energy. Working in partnership with the water district the landowner-based group says there are pending master plans for 6500MW within the water district and 3000MW in the Central Valley in the state CAISO interconnection queue.The Westlands Water District is expecting to use some 20,000 acres of retired farmland to be sold to solar developers.
But “transmission planning in the San Joaquin Valley is lacking“ points out WSP spokesman Daniel Kim at a March 16 California Energy Commission workshop. He says Kings County alone has 1060MW of pending as well as approved utility-size solar projects. They argue the mid-state location and the lack of environmental impacts make it a good place to connect more solar to the state’s grid.
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