Idaho is coming around on clean tech, approves first-ever solar farm on state land

Boise Solar, a 54 MWac solar project developed by Origis Energy. Courtesy: Origis Energy

For the first time, the Idaho State Board of Land Commissioners has voted to approve a lease for a solar farm on state-owned property.

At last Tuesday’s meeting in Boise, the board voted 3-1 in favor of leasing more than 11,000 acres of state endowment land to a PacifiCorp wind and solar project in southeast Idaho, near Idaho Falls in Bingham County. Dubbed Arco Wind and Solar, the clean energy farm will be mostly constructed on private land, particularly the wind portion. The entire project spans more than 32,000 acres in Bingham and Fremont counties.

NorthRenew Energy sold Arco Wind and Solar to PacifiCorp in February. Once finished, it will have more than 300 megawatts of combined wind, solar, and storage nameplate capacity. PacifiCorp is targeting late 2026 for commercial operations; construction on the land being used for solar is already underway.

The state’s land board expects to rake in between $1.5 million and $2 million annually in rent from the project, which could increase the state’s leasing portfolio by 25% by itself. The land previously generated about $.59 per acre via grazing leases- a figure blown out of the water by the estimated $200-$300 per acre the approved lease will generate. Idaho’s endowment trust funds (there are nine of them) support the state’s public school systems, multiple universities, state veterans homes, and more.

That’s a sweet deal for a state where many leaders have been skeptical of renewable energy projects, including Attorney General Raul Labrador, who voted against it. This summer, numerous Idaho legislators vowed to continue to fight against the Lava Ridge Wind project, which would be the largest wind generation facility in the state – calling the latest plans for the site “a slap in the face of Idahoans” that will ultimately benefit California rather than Idaho.

In spite of any preconceived notions, Tuesday’s meeting materials highlighted support for the Arco Wind and Solar project from neighboring landowners, who have been involved with this project since its inception.

“The project site, both on private and public lands, while sufficient for grazing, has limited broader agricultural value due to the desert climate and limited water resources in the area,” Bruce Wilding wrote. “The combination makes this an excellent location for renewable energy development.”

More than 70% of farmers are open to large-scale solar projects on their properties if system designs allow for continued agricultural production, according to a recent report by the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2). Nearly half of solar developers surveyed believe that solar on farmland will make up a majority of their future business opportunities.

Solar progress in the Gem State

Although wind energy contributes approximately 17% of Idaho’s electricity, the Gem State and solar development have not exactly gone hand-in-hand in recent years. That said, the state’s renewable energy capacity is about to increase immensely, thanks in large part to new solar installations coming online.

A couple of big projects fired up in 2016, marking Idaho’s first dabbling into utility-scale solar: The 108 MW Grand View Solar Two (Clenera) in Grand View and the 54.6 MW ID Solar (Origis Energy) in Kuna. Utility-scale solar power generation accounted for 0.2% of the state’s mix that year.

In 2017, Idaho added the 40 MW American Falls Solar in the aptly named Power County and four more 40 MW projects in Elmore and Ada Counties.

However, any whiff of momentum died there and large-scale solar growth was stagnant in Idaho from 2018 through 2022, as indicated by the sad-looking middle of the Solar Energy Industries Association in the bar graph below.

Courtesy: Solar Energy Industries Association

In January of last year, Duke Energy started commercial operations at the 120 MW Jackpot Solar project in Twin Falls County, which provides energy to Idaho Power through a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA). Jackpot is now the largest solar facility currently operating in Idaho, supplanting Grand View Solar Two.

Courtesy: Solar Energy Industries Association

In late 2025, Jackpot will likely pass the crown to the 200 MW Pleasant Valley Solar, which broke ground in Boise last summer. Other upcoming solar projects of note include Clenera’s Crimson Orchard Idaho, a 120 MW solar site with 400 MWh of paired battery storage expected to be operational in Q3 2026.

SEIA predicts a steady flow of utility-scale projects coming online through 2029, significantly altering the state’s clean energy mix.

There might be more to come. Earlier this year, the Department of the Interior announced an updated roadmap for solar energy development across 22 million acres in the western United States, including land in Idaho.

Energy storage is also making progress in Idaho, although NIMBYism persists. This year, Aypa Power secured $323M to develop, own, and operate a 150 MW/600 MWh battery storage facility in Kuna, Idaho. Kuna residents made headlines for coming out in force against the 2,385-acre Powers Butte Energy Center solar project developed by Savion, Idaho News 6 reports, claiming the farm would be a blight on the surrounding area. The Ada County Commission ultimately moved to halt the Powers Butte project, BoiseDev reports, citing public opposition and their own feelings in their decision.

wind turbines in front of an orange sunset

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