Starr Solar | 163MW in Texas
About the Starr solar project
Lightsource bp’s 163MW Starr solar farm is currently under construction in Starr County, Texas. The privately funded $230 million renewable energy project will deliver affordable electricity into the local grid, helping with Texas’s energy independence and energy security. It will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 227,000 metric tons each year, for healthier air.
163MWdc
/136MWac of home-grown renewable energy, enough to power 30,100 homes
200
jobs created during construction, supporting domestic supply chains
226,000 metric tons
carbon emissions abated each year for healthier air
49,100
fuel-burning cars taken off the road (equivalent)
Site selection & preliminary design
Stakeholder outreach
Permitting & environmental studies
Land management & biodiversity planning
Final engineering, financing & construction
Operation & maintenance
Decommissioning & recycling
Community dialogue – we want to be a good neighbor
Lightsource bp is dedicated to supporting communities that are home to our solar projects across America. We have a Community Relations team that works closely with our neighbors to maximize the positive social impacts of our projects.
To connect with a Community Relations Manager please email USCommunityRelations@lightsourcebp.com.
If you are a member of the media, please visit our Press Center.
Solar farm basics: What, why and how?
Solar farms generate enough home-grown electricity to power thousands of homes, with no carbon emissions, for healthier air. Solar helps diversify our country’s energy mix, adding resilience and security to America’s energy infrastructure, reducing our dependence on foreign energy sources while driving down electricity costs.
In solar farms, rows of solar panels produce electricity, which flows into the local electric grid, like any other kind of electric plant– powering places like homes, businesses, schools and hospitals.
Solar panels are mounted on racking that sits on posts – those posts take up less than 5% of the land. This leaves significant open space under the panels, in the rows and in buffer areas to plant site-specific grasses and other vegetation with a goal of increasing biodiversity in the first 5 years of operation. We also integrate agriculture where practical.
The racking is equipped with smart solar trackers that slowly and quietly rotate throughout the day, following the sun to maximize solar energy production. These smart trackers serve other important purposes, too – they help protect solar panels from hailstorms, high winds, and buildup of snow on solar panels.
Our Responsible Solar approach
Lightsource bp has a deep commitment to delivering safe, clean and affordable energy, as well as maximizing the environmental sustainability and positive social impacts of each of our projects. We call this approach Responsible Solar. We are intentional with every detail, from the fencing we choose to the vegetation we plant. We want our Starr Solar farm to be a great project for the local community. In developing the project, we are implementing our best practices for solar farm development, including the below:
Environment and aesthetics
- Designing setbacks from nearby property lines and public roads.
- Installing an agricultural game style fence as opposed to industry-standard chain link fencing.
- Planting vegetation under and around the solar panels, with a seed mix customized for the local area in order to increase biodiversity and improve soil health.
Upkeep and decommissioning
- Making sure appropriate drainage and traffic mitigation are provided.
- Budgeting for consistent maintenance and upkeep of the facility.
- Committing to reusing or recycling all solar panels: Lightsource bp has a zero landfill policy for solar panels.
- Preparing a decommissioning plan to ensure that the project will be removed at the end of its life.
Responsible Solar Stories
Find out more about our Responsible Solar approach in action.
Solar apprenticeships for Texas veterans
Helping Texas veterans get on-the-job training at our Elm Branch Solar project
It’s so much more than a solar farm
A solar farm is so much more than you think. It can boost biodiversity on the land. It can provide new tax revenue to your community. It’s a new year-round type of harvest for your neighbor farmers that helps them keep their land for future generations.
Long-term benefits
In addition to generating affordable, renewable energy for the Texas electrical grid, development of the land with home-grown solar energy has several additional long-term benefits, including:
- Rest and regeneration of the land during the project’s life, improving soil health and preserving it for future use.
- Healthy groundcover under and around the panels that boosts local biodiversity, creating a stable, long-term home for plants, pollinators, birds and other wildlife.
- Opportunity for integrated agriculture such as sheep grazing or bee keeping.
- Rural resilience through continued local ownership of the land.
- Energy security and independence from foreign sources of fuel.
- Healthier air quality by generating electricity with no polluting carbon dioxide emissions.
Economic growth for the community
The Starr Solar project represents a $230 million capital investment into home-grown, affordable energy for Texas, using private funding. This opens many doors for economic growth, including:
- 200 jobs will be created during peak construction of the project, prioritizing the hiring of local subcontractors and local labor.
- Lightsource bp is committed to supporting philanthropic activities and charitable donations to local organizations.
Information and resources
We’ve put together a collection of resources for anyone who’d like to know more about solar farms.
Solar farm FAQs
We’ve put together a list of the most commonly asked questions, and their answers.
Solar energy basics
National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL)
Lightsource bp educational materials
Solar panel safety and recycling
Explore our other Texas solar projects
Briar Creek Solar
153 MW
Navarro County, Texas
Energy partner: Allianz Global Corporate & Specialty