SunPower Corp. says it expects to start construction on the 25 MW McHenry solar farm in Modesto, Calif., before the end of the year. The PV project received unanimous approval by the Stanislaus County Planning Commission on Sept. 15.
Construction of the facility is contingent on the receipt of all remaining building permits and is expected to be completed and operational by the second half of 2012, SunPower adds. Electricity produced by the project will serve the utility grid operated by Modesto Irrigation District.
The plant will use the SunPower Oasis Power Plant product, a fully integrated, modular solar power block that is engineered to deploy utility-scale solar projects while minimizing land-use impacts, according to SunPower. Each power block integrates the SunPower T0 Tracker with SunPower's E19 solar panel, pre-manufactured system cabling, the Oasis smart inverter and the Oasis operating system.