Under the plan, KRCD and Cleantech would develop renewable solar energy for the Authority's Community Choice customers throughout California's San Joaquin Valley. Upon full build-out, KRCD's Community Choice Solar Farm would be the nation's largest utility scale photovoltaic facility by far, providing reliable, cost effective green energy to San Joaquin Valley residents and businesses using Community Choice power.

The memorandum of understanding calls for the facility to be developed in phases of 10 megawatts in 2009, 30 megawatts in 2010 and 40 megawatts in 2011, for a total of 80 MW. Cleantech America last week announced an agreement with PG and E for a 5 MW solar farm, CalRENEW-1, which also will be located in Fresno County, and at the time was the third largest announced photovoltaic facility in the Country and the largest in California.

"The promise of Community Choice is to have local control of our energy destiny. This means providing a choice of energy providers, stable and predictable rates, and valued added to the region through the development of new, local renewable energy sources like utility-scale photovoltaic solar which is generated within our service area, close to our energy load," said David Orth, General Manager of KRCD.

Bill Barnes, CEO of Cleantech America LLC., said, "This is a visionary step by Kings River Conservation District. The extraordinary economies of scale which can be achieved by facilities of this magnitude would have a dramatic effect on helping solar energy achieve grid parity."

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