MCE approves 100-MW, union-built California solar + storage project

California community choice aggregator MCE greenlit a 100-MW solar project that will be paired with 75 MW of battery storage. The Golden Fields Solar project, located in Kern County, was selected with unanimous support by MCE’s Technical Committee of the Board.

“Projects like Golden Fields Solar are essential to California’s transition to a carbon-free power grid,” said Ford Greene, board director of MCE. “Large battery storage projects that are co-located with renewable resources take us one step closer to an all-renewable electric grid, increase reliability, and create green-collar jobs.”

The project is expected to come online in March 2025 for a 15-year term. Golden Fields Solar will be constructed with union labor and will include pollinator-friendly habitats throughout the project site. The project developer has pledged $100,000 and 100 hours of employee time toward community benefit initiatives in the MCE service area and communities adjacent to the project location.

The Golden Fields Solar project will help MCE meet the California Public Utilities Commission’s mid-term reliability mandate, which requires MCE to procure an additional 72 MW of solar + storage capacity by 2025.

News item from MCE

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/02/mce-approves-union-built-california-solar-storage-project/