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Governor Inslee and Elected Officials to Join Avista and Strata Solar at Largest Solar Array Ribbon Cutting Event

Lind, WA is home to the new solar energy project that is powering Avista’s commercial business customers through the Avista Solar Select™ Program

SPOKANE, Wash., Oct. 23, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Avista and Strata Solar, with help from Gov. Jay Inslee will commemorate the Adams Neilson Solar Farm powering Avista’s Solar Select program.

Through collaboration, Avista, Strata Solar, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, and the WSU Energy Program, created a cost-effective structure to bring solar energy to large business customers in Eastern Washington, allowing them to begin to meet their desired sustainability goals.

The Solar Select program is powered by 28 Megawatts DC of renewable solar energy, making this array the largest in Washington. Located in Lind, WA, part of Avista’s electric service territory, the array will be comprised of 81,700 panels that span 200 acres and generate enough electricity to supply approximately 4,000 homes annually.

Inslee is joining community leaders and program partners to celebrate this successful project.  “We continue to grow Washington’s clean energy economy and developments like the Adams Nielson Solar Farm are helping us do just that. This is the largest solar project in the state and the first utility-scale project,” said Inslee.  “I am pleased that it is the direct result of a bill I signed in 2017 to reauthorize the solar incentive program. This project has not only created jobs and economic opportunity in Eastern Washington, but it’s also generating clean, emissions-free energy.”

Representative Dan Newhouse (R-WA), who will also be joining the ceremony stated, “Renewable energy projects like this are an important piece of our energy future. I believe in an all-of-the-above energy strategy for the nation, so it’s great to see this kind of investment right here in Adams County.”

“Avista’s interest in the development of Solar Select, a voluntary commercial solar program, is consistent with the Company’s ongoing commitment to provide customers with renewable energy choices at reasonable cost,” said Dennis Vermillion, president, Avista Corporation. “In recent years, an increasing number of Avista customers have requested more options to subscribe to renewable energy programs, and Avista is uniquely suited to evaluate and assess the development of renewable energy products that meets our customers’ needs today and into the future.”

Strata Solar reports the economic and environmental benefits associated with the production of the 28 MW DC Adams Nielsen Solar project include:

  • Adams County will receive approximately $4 million over the next 20 years in property tax revenues, or approximately $200,000 annually, which can be used to lower tax rates, improve schools, maintain roads and enhance local services.
  • Traditional fossil fuel generation sources producing an equivalent annual amount of electric energy would emit greenhouse gases (GHG) consisting of nearly 40,604 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) according to the EPA’s website.

“Producing approximately 48,000 MWh annually of clean, renewable solar energy at our Adams Neilson project represents a significant environmental and economic milestone for Strata Solar, the local community and our many project partners including Avista, and Swinerton Renewable Energy,” said John Knight, chief development officer, Strata Solar.  “We are proud to help contribute to Washington’s clean energy goals through the successful energy production from Washington’s largest solar energy facility.”

The project’s construction in 2018 was overseen by Swinerton Renewable Energy.  The equivalent of more than 150 people worked on the project over the course of this year.

About Avista Utilities
Avista Utilities is involved in the production, transmission and distribution of energy. We provide energy services and electricity to 375,000 customers and natural gas to 336,000 customers in a service territory that covers 30,000 square miles in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.6 million.  Avista Utilities is an operating division of Avista Corp. (NYSE: AVA). For more information, please visit www.avistautilities.com.

The Avista logo is a trademark of Avista Corporation. SOURCE: Avista Corporation

About Strata Solar
Strata Solar is a leading provider of utility-scale, commercial and community solar PV systems. Since 2008, Strata has constructed over 1.2 GW in total solar capacity and maintains a development pipeline of over 3.5 GW. The company's integrated approach, which includes development, financing, engineering, procurement, construction, operations and maintenance, allows Strata to consistently develop and build quality projects with long-term ownership in mind. Strata is consistently ranked one of the top utility-scale solar integrators in the U.S. 

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