Ribbon-cutting ceremony in Lind celebrates completion of state’s largest solar plant

Local, state and federal officials joined project stakeholders at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Adams-Neilson Solar Farm in Lind.

Gov. Jay Inslee—a proponent of clean and renewable energy since taking office—and local Congressman Dan Newhouse were on hand at the event, which commemorated the installation of the largest solar plant in the state of Washington. Inslee cut the ribbon with the ASB President of Lind Middle School.

State Sen. Mark Schoesler and State Reps. Mary Dye and Joe Schmick were also present at the ceremony. The groundbreaking ceremony took place on May 24 earlier this year, and the planned commission for the solar plant is currently set for December of this year.

The renewable energy facility—which will consist of more than 80,000 solar panels—is an approximately 200-acre project that was built and is owned by Strata Solar, a North Carolina-based company that specializes in providing solar energy.

Strata Solar is partnering with Avista Corp., which will buy the electricity and sell it to their large business customers in eastern Washington. Avista President Dennis Vermillion and Strata Solar Chief Development Officer John Knight were in attendance.

This new program offered by Avista, called Solar Select, “is part of Avista’s ongoing commitment to provide customers with more renewable energy choices,” according to the event’s program. “The innovative program allows Avista’s Washington commercial customers the opportunity to directly reach their sustainability goals by acquiring solar electricity and Renewable Energy Certificates.”

The project was announced earlier in the spring of this year, and the groundbreaking celebration at the site was held on May 24.

The facility will produce around 28 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power roughly 4,000 average homes annually. That is many times larger than any other solar plant in the state, according to Avista.

“It’s part of Strata’s mission to bring new, renewable energy sources to our customers,” said Knight, when the project was first announced in April. “By partnering with utilities, such as Avista, we will be able to continue to scale and bring more renewable energy solutions online across the country.”

Avista and Strata Solar also joined together to make a donation of $10,000 to Lind Middle School, which was delivered by Vermillion and Knight to Lind Middle School Principal Cindy Deska.

The construction of the solar farm created over 150 jobs as it was being built. The farm requires no public water or sewer.