Oregon is set to launch Sunstone Solar, the largest solar-plus-storage facility in the United States, marking the state’s significant move towards clean energy.
Approved by state regulators, the innovative project will transform nearly 9,500 acres of farmland in northeastern Oregon into a 1,200-megawatt solar capacity, with up to 7,200 megawatt-hours of storage.
Nearly four million solar panels at the facility are expected to generate clean electricity to power approximately 800,000 homes annually once operational.
The project’s developer, Pine Gate Renewables, will invest up to USD 11 million in local wheat farms to offset potential economic impacts on the region’s agriculture.
Solar Installation Initiatives
Sunstone Solar is part of the growing wave of large-scale solar installation initiatives across the United States. Developers respond to the increasing clean energy projects by constructing more massive solar plants and pairing them with battery storage to optimize power distribution.
Led by Texas and California, the U.S. solar industry witnessed unprecedented growth in 2024, with a record of 34 gigawatts of utility-scale solar added to the grid—a 74% increase from 2023.
Battery storage installations also saw significant growth, almost doubling the record set in 2023 with 13 gigawatts of new capacity.
Once operational, Sunstone Solar will substantially exceed the current largest U.S. solar-plus-storage project, which provides up to 875 megawatts of solar and 3,287 megawatt-hours of battery storage.
Furthermore, the initiative represents a huge leap from Oregon’s largest operational solar project, which started operating in April 2023 with a capacity of 162 megawatts.
Oregon’s Ambitious Solar Goals
Oregon’s solar initiative aims to generate a six-hour energy storage duration, surpassing most battery plants’ usual four-hour or less duration.
With Pine Gate Renewables authorized to integrate lithium-ion or zinc-based batteries in the Sunstone Solar project, Massie Sasser, Vice President of Government and External Affairs, stated that the company is still considering which technology to utilize.
Sunstone Solar’s planned 1,200-megawatt capacity will nearly match Oregon’s total installed solar capacity of 1,904 megawatts as of December 2024.
The project is poised to significantly contribute to Oregon’s renewable energy goals, which require the state’s two main electric companies provide 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040.