A solar farm, also known as as utility scale solar is defined in Linn County as a group of interconnected solar panels/arrays that convert sunlight into electricity for the primary purpose of wholesale or retail sales of generated electricity. According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) most US utility-scale solar power plants produce between 1-5 megawatts of solar power. However some can generate 50 megawatts or greater. The US currently has more than 2,500 utility- scale solar electricity generating facilities.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), “the primary defining characteristic of utility-scale solar projects are that they sell the power they generate directly into the electric grid. What distinguishes utility-scale solar from consumer-scale solar is both project size and the fact that electricity is sold to wholesale utility buyers, not end use consumers.”