Geography and Logistics
- Louisiana has a warm and sunny climate, making it an ideal location for solar power generation. The state has an average of 216 sunny days per year, which is higher than the national average.
- Louisiana has large, flat expanses of land that can be used for solar panel installations.
Louisiana has the potential to generate up to 13,000 megawatts of solar power, the equivalent to the state's total electricity demand.
Economic Impact
60+
solar companies operating in the state
3,000+
Louisiana residents employed in the sector
7,000+
potential new jobs
13,000
megawatts of solar power
Private Investment
Currently developing two Louisiana solar farms for a combined investment of nearly $500 million. The 345-megawatt Oxbow solar farm that the company is constructing will be the largest solar farm in Louisiana. The company will generate electricity for McDonald’s and eBay through power purchase agreements.
Adding carbon-free power from four solar facilities across the state – two in St. James Parish and one each in Allen and Washington parishes. Some of those sites are expected to begin delivering power to customers in 2024.
Planning a pair of solar farms in Louisiana as part of the online giant’s efforts to be entirely dependent on renewable energy by 2025. The company announced in 2022 that it would open a solar farm in St. Landry Parish by 2024, capable of generating 100 megawatts of power, enough energy to power 20,000 homes and businesses daily. Additionally, a 200-megawatt solar farm in Morehouse Parish is set to open in 2023.
Workforce and Higher Ed
As part of its Green Technology program, Baton Rouge Community College offers courses on solar facility management and solar panel design and installation.
Through the U.S. Department of Labor, River Parishes Community College offers a solar panel technology program emphasizing panel installation.
Louisiana community colleges offer pathways to careers in the solar sector.