LIND — Avista Utilities is expanding its solar energy generation with the Solar Select program, powered by a solar array being built in Lind which will provide solar power to large commercial and industrial electric customers.

The new solar farm is projected to be 25 times larger than the current largest array in Washington and to produce 28 megawatts. Avista Utilities currently provides energy services and electricity to 375,000 customers across eastern Washington, eastern Oregon and northern Idaho.

The Select Solar program was created in collaboration between Avista, Strata Solar, the WSU Energy Program and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, according to a press release. The collaborative project came in response to increased demand for renewable energy from larger commercial and industrial customers, including school, university and government facilities, said Shawn Bonfield, regional account executive at Avista.

Schools, businesses and governments are increasingly setting goals for renewable energy usage and carbon-pollution reduction, and the voluntary Solar Select program creates additional options for the renewable power needed to meet those goals, Bonfield said.

Despite the facility’s size, Bonfield said leadership at Avista is confident that the Solar Select program will fill up quickly, and the utility company has plans to expand solar energy options for small- and medium-sized costumers in the future.

Across the country, many large energy consumers are unable to afford the additional costs of solar energy. Purchasing solar energy costs roughly 2.5 cents more per kilowatt hour than Avista’s conventional generation mix, half of which is cheap hydroelectric power, but those premiums are offset for customers in Washington by renewable energy incentives provided by the state, Bonfield said.

Following a competitive bidding process, the array will be built by Solar Select, a solar energy provider which has constructed 150 similar projects across the country. Avista has agreed to purchase energy from Solar Select for 20 years.

The service is scheduled to be available to large commercial and industrial electric customers beginning mid-December, with enrollment into the program beginning May 1.