The project requires 4 million panels and huge investments in agriculture.
The largest solar power plant Sunstone Solar with a capacity of 1200 MW will be built in the USA in 2026. The Solar Powe World portal reports on this project.
The Oregon state government has approved the construction of a facility that will be the largest in the USA. The power plant is expected to consist of 4 million solar panels, potentially enough to power 800,000 homes, and a 1,200-megawatt storage system. The Bonneville Power Administration will connect it to the grid through the Umatilla Electric Cooperative system.
Ben Cutt, CEO of solar solutions company Pine Gate Renewables, said Oregon's permitting process for energy projects is one of the most stringent in the country. The region strictly regulates where solar panels can be installed to preserve the best land for agriculture. However, projects like Sunstone Solar can receive special permits if they demonstrate a clear benefit to the region.
Pine Gate Renewables plans to start construction in 2026 and is investing more than $1,000 per acre (about 4 square kilometers) to support local agriculture. The initiative will contribute about $11 million to a fund to help wheat farmers. Design and first purchases will begin as early as 2025.
The company already owns and operates 17 other solar projects in Oregon, having purchased Sunstone Solar from Gallatin Power Partners in 2022. In addition, this project is just one of many steps Oregon is taking to achieve its goal of generating all of the state's electricity from clean energy sources by 2040, while eliminating environmental pollution during electricity production.
The United States is currently actively developing alternative energy sources, but so far it lags significantly behind China. In the summer, the world's largest solar power plant was launched in the Xinjiang region, with a capacity of 3.5 GW and an area of 133.33 square kilometers. It is capable of producing about 6.09 billion kWh of electricity per year.