Wildflower solar
Renewable energy for one of the largest publicly owned utility companies in the US
16.5MWᴅᴄ
/13MWᴀᴄ capacity
21,850
metric tons of CO2 saved per year
4,640
fuel-burning cars taken off road (equivalent)
2,600
homes powered per year
75
local jobs created during construction
Site selection & preliminary design
Stakeholder outreach
Permitting & environmental studies
Land management & biodiversity planning
Final engineering, financing & construction
Operation & maintenance
Decommissioning & recycling
In November 2018, Lightsource bp signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Sacramento Municipal Utilities Division (SMUD), one of the largest publicly owned utility companies in the United States. Under the agreement, Lightsource bp will finance, build, and operate a 16.5 megawatt solar farm within SMUD’s service territory in Sacramento County, California. SMUD will purchase all the electricity under the 25-year PPA.
The solar farm, called Wildflower Solar, supports SMUD’s renewable energy and carbon reduction goals. It will generate enough clean, affordable energy to cover the equivalent annual electricity needs of 2,624 homes in northern California. The project also supports SMUD’s Neighborhood SolarShares community solar program, meeting growing consumer demand for clean energy and locally sited solar.
Lightsource bp creates customized long-term land and environmental management plans for solar farms that aim to maintain, as well as develop, plant and wildlife habitats to provide a net gain for local biodiversity. The plan for Wildflower Solar will be to create a pollinator friendly solar farm, designed in collaboration with ecology experts to restore and conserve pollinator habitat. The project went online at the end of 2020.

Information and resources
We’ve put together a collection of resources for anyone who’d like to know more about our Wildflower Solar project:
Solar farm FAQs
We’ve put together a list of the most commonly asked questions, and their answers.
Stories
Find out more about our Responsible Solar approach
Recycling and lifecycle management of solar panels
Our commitment to recycling solar panels

Get in touch
If you’d like to find out more about this project, email USCommunityRelations@lightsourcebp.com, or fill out this form. We aim to get back to you within five working days.
USCommunityRelations@lightsourcebp.com
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