Is NW solar going big time?

A big splash in local Puget Sound media this week with the announcement of a plan to build what could be the world's largest solar power plant right in our state. Here, in Washington? I know, it sounds more like a punchline than an energy plan, but the truth is we have a pretty fair amount of sun in our region. You just have to know where to look.

If you spend most of your time west of the Cascades, you're in a very different climate than the weather world that is anywhere east of the summit at Snoqualmie, Stevens or any other mountain pass. Our Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility (pictured here) is the largest solar array currently in the Northwest, and works well in part because the Cascades block the incoming clouds from the Pacific.

Eastern Washington gets far more sun than the West side of the state, with about 300 sunny days a year. But solar works in the West, too, as the solar array we helped support at South Whidbey High demonstrates on this live link.

And interestingly, while we often think of the Southwestern U.S., which gets even more sun, as the best place for sun, the efficiency of solar panels can actually decline in extreme heat. That means a cooler, but still sunny, area such as Central and Eastern Washington, could have great potential.