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Lancaster to Build Solar Farm

The City of Lancaster is collaborating with two solar companies on a 16-acre solar farm that will generate 4 megawatts of electricity. The project with SolarCity and US Topco will be constructed on vacant city land that US Topco will lease. It is the first phase of a plan to generate 200 megawatts of energy for the Antelope Valley city. SolarCity of San Mateo will design, build and maintain the solar farm. US Topco, owned by Taiwanese firm Topco Scientific, is the developer of the project and supplies the solar panels. Southern California Edison will pay SolarCity for the electricity the project generates and feed it directly into the local utility grid. The 4-megawatt farm uses 14,000 ground-mounted solar panels and can generate enough power for 550 homes. “Thanks to the many innovative partnerships the city has developed, we are continuing the development of Lancaster’s solar industry at a very fast pace,” Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris said in a prepared statement. “This project is yet another crucial step toward our goal of becoming America’s first truly Net-Zero city.” Lancaster has worked with SolarCity since 2010 to bring solar installations to private businesses and residences in the city, as well as at city-owned facilities like City Hall, Lancaster Performing Arts Center and the minor league baseball stadium. The city partnered with US Topco in 2011 on the joint development of solar projects.

Mark Madler
Mark Madler
Mark R. Madler covers aviation & aerospace, manufacturing, technology, automotive & transportation, media & entertainment and the Antelope Valley. He joined the company in February 2006. Madler previously worked as a reporter for the Burbank Leader. Before that, he was a reporter for the City News Bureau of Chicago and several daily newspapers in the suburban Chicago area. He has a bachelor’s of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

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