Port of Oakland stake in solar array goes online, bringing power from solar to 30%

The Port of Oakland’s stake in a newly expanded solar array at Antelope Valley Solar Ranch in Lancaster, California, went online last week, delivering renewable energy to the port’s owned and operated utility. The utility sells electricity to tenants at both the Oakland Seaport and the Oakland International Airport.

“This is a project that has been six years in the making,” said Port of Oakland executive director Danny Wan. “Using renewable power sources to meet our energy needs is another important step towards zero emissions and a greener port.”

In March 2017, the Port approved the $8.9m deal to buy power from Antelope Valley, one of the largest solar farms in California with about 1,300 acres. The port’s commitment is equivalent to using about 50 of those acres.

The port will purchase approximately 11,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually from the solar farm, about 7% of the port utility’s overall power needs. With other solar energy it already uses, the port now gets approximately 30% of its power from solar.

“Energy resources are challenging to find right now and energy prices are hitting highs we have not seen since 2001,” said Jared Carpenter, Port of Oakland Manager of Utility Administration. “Therefore, this solar array coming online at this time is perfect for the port utility energy portfolio.”