A solar plant could be coming to the California Institution for Women prison in Corona. The solar facility would be built on 10 acres of land belonging to the prison, reported the Chino Champion.
The 1,349-kilowatt solar plant would produce emission-free renewable energy for the state’s power grid and use at the women’s prison, according to the May 5 article.
Women locked up behind bars
The state has been trying to create solar projects at California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prisons for years. The facility meets Gov. Jerry Brown’s executive order to decrease grid-based energy purchases, said Jennifer Lida, public information officer for the Department of General Services. The project will be for the general use at the prison.
“We do not believe there are any objections to the project,” said Lida. “The projects do not affect the operations of the facility and are on CDCR land that would otherwise be vacant.”
The excess electricity at the site would interconnect with Southern California Edison power lines, said the article.
Construction could start in August. It would take an estimated four months to complete the project. Delays might be caused by reviews of the design plans by the environmental agency and the state’s Fire Marshal, said the article.
The plant will include 64 rows of solar arrays providing 4,028 solar panels, according to Terracon Consultants, which prepared the geotechnical engineering report.
Chino city officials expressed concern that they had not been adequately informed of the project.