Avangrid Begins Panel Installation at Oregon Trail Solar, Supports Local Jobs

Avangrid has started installing solar panels at Oregon Trail Solar, a large project in Gilliam County, Oregon. The project will produce 57 megawatts DC (41 megawatts AC) of power and is on track to finish next year. Once complete, it will include more than 100,000 solar panels and generate enough electricity to power about 10,000 U.S. homes each year. Construction is supporting 200 local union jobs.

This is a utility-scale solar farm, not a residential program, so it does not offer a rebate or incentive homeowners can apply for directly. Its effect on your household would come through the grid: more solar generation feeding into Oregon's electricity supply as demand grows. Avangrid says the project will also contribute $6 million over its lifetime in combined payments in lieu of taxes and property taxes to Gilliam County, money meant to support local schools and infrastructure.

Oregon Trail sits next to Avangrid's existing Pachwáywit Fields solar project and a battery storage project the company recently announced nearby. Avangrid already operates more than 2.5 gigawatts of energy capacity in Oregon, along with a training center in Sherman County and a corporate office in Portland. For homeowners, the news mainly signals that more solar capacity is coming online in the region, which can factor into the broader picture of where your electricity comes from, though it does not change what upgrades or rebates are available for your own home.