Solar Park in California with a capacity of 750 MW Bashny.Net

California’s planned solar capacity received a major boost this week, following an announcement from Riverside County whose executives approved NextEra Energy’s plans to build a 750 MW solar power plant on a 4,400-acre (17,800 sq m) site near Blyce.

The McCoy Solar Energy Project has been in the design process for several years, not least because of the Riverside County government's delaying approval process.

This week, however, construction plans were approved, allowing NextEra Energy to begin work on a solar plant that will create at least 600 local jobs.

“There’s no good reason why a company can’t start building a facility and create new jobs,” said county governor John Benoit. Opponents of the project raised questions about the possible harmful effects of construction on local residents and the environment.

Blyce, in Riverside County, California, has been selected as the site for NextEra Energy’s next large-scale solar PV plant.

NextEra Energy stressed that while they would have to use county roads, power lines and eventually install an estimated 516,000 solar panels - with more room to install more panels - the negative impact on local residents would be minimal.

Part of the agreement between the Florida-based solar developer and county regulators is an upfront payment of $1.21 million in damages to NextEra Energy’s construction, with a further payment of $150 per acre (approximately 4,000 square meters) in compensation for the county’s used land.

In the near future, the company will begin implementing the first phase of the project, which involves installing solar panels on an initial 2,262 acres of land owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management north of Blyce Airport.

According to information gathered by district officials as part of the 2006 Global Warming Solutions Act, Riverside County is home to 200,000 of the roughly 300,000 acres of land California lawmakers plan to operate solar plants.

Source: aenergy.ru