Oregon – With Pine Gate Renewables being approved to build an enormous solar array and battery storage system, Oregon is poised to host one of the biggest renewable energy projects in the United States. Called the Sunstone Solar Project, this project represents a major advancement in the state’s dedication to increase its capacity for renewable energy.
Approved at its November 14 meeting, the Oregon Energy Facility Siting Council awarded a site certificate soon following its decision. This approval opens the path for the building, running, and finally deactivation of the Morrow County facility. Originally known as Echo Solar, the project—which will incorporate up to 7,200 megawatt-hours (MWh) of paired battery storage—initially calls for over 4 million solar panels to reach up to 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of generating power.
Designed to supply about 800,000 houses with solar energy, Sunstone Solar is expected to create a record in the American scene. The tremendous scope of this project is emphasized by its great usage of land—about 9,424 acres of private land authorized for Exclusive Farm usage within an area roughly 17-square miles. This location, about 15 miles northeast of Lexington, Oregon, has been primarily used for dryland winter wheat farming.
With an interconnection substation, many operations and maintenance facilities, multiple collector substations, and over 9.5 miles of 230-kilovolt overhead transmission lines, the project’s construction phase is anticipated to be significant. The build-out will also call for more infrastructure including gates, fences, and roads.
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This massive solar project marks an important shift in land usage since it removes a lot of valuable acreage from conventional agricultural output. The project’s approval came despite Oregon’s tougher rules on solar siting on valuable land set five years ago. Pine Gate Renewables and other developers have negotiated these rules by proving the possible financial gains for nearby businesses and suggesting policies to help to slow down the loss of agricultural land.
Other renewable energy companies, like Doral Renewables, which lately finished the first phase of the Mammoth Solar project in Indiana, use similar tactics. Doral’s president and CEO, Nick Cohen, supports the idea of “farming the sun,” contrasting the manufacturing of solar energy on land with more conventional agricultural outputs like ethanol.
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Doral has been investigating agrivoltaics, a technique combining agriculture and photovoltaics, whereas Pine Gate is yet unsure whether it will follow this path to keep agricultural activity on areas used for solar energy production. This strategy not only promotes the growth of renewable energy but also helps to protect the agricultural legacy of the affected regions.
Pine Gate has until November 2027 to satisfy pre-construction requirements while building on the Sunstone Solar Project starts in 2026. Once started, the construction is expected to take three years to complete. This project will significantly contribute to Oregon’s climate goals, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2030 and achieving zero emissions by 2040.
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Together with other projects run by Pine Gate Renewables, which owns and runs more than a dozen projects in Oregon, the Sunstone project highlights a strong movement toward sustainable energy solutions in the area. Significant financial support for this initiative comes from the $288 million investment meant to help several solar projects. These initiatives should change Oregon’s energy scene and establish new American norms for the growth of renewable energy sources as they advance.
