Solar panel farm opens in Starr County
There are now over 300,000 solar panels on a 750-acre piece of land on Loma Blanca Road in Roma.
The solar panels aren’t just bringing energy to the county, officials say the panels are also bringing money.
On Wednesday, Starr County officials held a red-ribbon cutting ceremony Lightsource BP solar panel farm that’s creating enough energy to power about 30,000 thousand homes.
“Lightsource BP saw the need for a reliable grid here in Starr County, and we worked directly with the judge and the mayor to bring this project here,” Lightsource BP Community Relations Manager Mac Flores said.
The energy will be dispersed throughout the Texas grid, but Lightsource BP said it could act as a safety net for the area.
That’s part of the reason the Starr County Industrial Foundation got involved in the project.
“When these projects come in, there's a purpose and portion of that is dedicated to the grid, and maybe not specifically for Starr County, but for the region to ensure that we can try and avoid some of those blackouts,” Starr County Industrial Foundation President Rose Benavidez said.
Lightsource BP is leasing the land from Starr County Judge Eloy Vera, and that the county did not invest into the $230 million project. Lightsource BP will contribute just under $3 million in taxes over the course of 10 years.
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