Plans to build a large solar project in the Cuyama Valley now have the unanimous support of the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.
The supervisors voted on the project Tuesday afternoon after hearing from several speakers in favor of the project and none against, according to Jefferson Litten with the Community Environmental Council, an organization supporting the solar field.
This marks the first utility-scale solar project for the entire county.
The proposed 327-acre facility is designed to generate as much as 40 megawatts of power, enough to support more than 15,000 homes. Construction could begin as early as next year according to First Solar, the company expected to build the project.
First Solar also built the Topaz Solar Farms in Eastern San Luis Obispo County, which is in the final stage of construction. When complete, at 550 megawatts it will be the largest solar project of its kind in the world.