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Gov. Jay Inslee to speak at solar farm dedication in Lind

A solar farm near Lind contains 81,000 panels, making it Washington’s largest solar farm. Gov. Jay Inslee will speak at a Tuesday ribbon-cutting ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Avista Corp.)
From staff reports

Gov. Jay Inslee will speak Tuesday at the dedication of a solar farm in Lind, Washington.

The 10 a.m. event commemorates the installation of the 28-megawatt facility, which is currently the state’s largest solar farm.

Strata Solar of North Carolina built and owns the 170-acre project about 75 miles west of Spokane. Avista Corp. will buy the electricity and sell it to 40 to 80 large commercial and industrial customers who want carbon-free electricity.

A state program provides tax incentives to bring the cost of the solar power in line with Avista’s rates for large electric users.

The solar farm will produce about 28 megawatts of renewable energy. If the electricity were headed to the residential market, it would provide enough power to meet the needs of about 4,000 households each year.

At the moment, the Lind solar array is 25 times larger than any other in the state, said Mary Tyrie, an Avista spokeswoman.

However, a project similar in size has been proposed for Central Washington. Seattle-based Tuusso Energy wants to build a 25-megawatt solar farm in Kittitas County.