California's dry farmland to be repurposed for 21 GW of solar power

California’s Westlands Water District has launched the Valley Clean Infrastructure Plan, a major initiative to repurpose over 215,000 acres of fallowed farmland—land rendered unproductive due to chronic water shortages—into solar farms capable of generating 21 gigawatts (GW) of renewable energy. This effort addresses the ongoing water scarcity in the San Joaquin Valley, where a third of irrigable farmland has gone out of production, and aligns with California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which further limits groundwater use. The district, the largest agricultural water district in the U.S., oversees 1,000 square miles supplying water to 700 farms and aims to integrate the new solar infrastructure with the state’s transmission grid operator, CAISO. Authorized by California law AB 2661, which allows the district to develop and own solar generation, battery storage, and transmission facilities, the plan also mandates a community benefits program to ensure local input and support. The initiative is expected to create thousands of construction and long