How SunPower Protects the Environment While Building Solar Power Plants

Imagine a power plant that actually improves the natural habitat in which it operates.

SunPower is a leader in the solar industry when it comes to our commitment to sustainability. Our passion for environmental responsibility extends to the way we design, construct and operate solar power plants around the world. In fact, SunPower has developed an innovative approach to solar power plant development that we call the Light on Land™ solution. It’s an approach that allows us to minimize the environmental impact of our large-scale solar power systems by reducing disturbances to land and natural resources while maximizing the renewable energy they generate.

In a nutshell, SunPower’s Light on Land™ approach means we:

• Prefer sites on already disturbed lands, such as marginal agricultural land, rangeland, brownfield sites or landfills, with an emphasis on compatible dual uses such as sheep grazing;
• Improve project sites when possible by restoring land and soil while constructing and operating our projects;
• Deploy our technology in a minimally invasive manner;
• Promote the ecological potential of the land and protect native vegetation and animals;
• and Monitor for potential impacts and continued compliance with environmental regulations.

When SunPower develops power plants around the world, these practices guide our site selection and design, construction and operation activities. We design solar arrays to adapt to the natural topography of a site, and we use native grasses and vegetation to maximize groundwater recharge and carbon sequestration. As a standard practice, we bring in sheep to graze beneath the solar arrays, a low-impact alternative to mowing.

The Light on Land approach means we aspire to land management practices that enhance the environment while contributing to the success of the solar project. Read the full blog post here.