Oregon's Diamond Solar Project adds a 600-foot wildlife corridor that's untested

Oregon approved the Diamond Solar Project: 406,000 panels on 1,560 forest acres split into two blocks with a 600-foot vegetated wildlife corridor (about 700 feet including 50-foot fire breaks) to keep deer and elk connected to water. The width is a negotiated, untested design and no field study has begun yet since construction hasn’t started. The project, built by Invenergy on land owned by the Shanda Group, includes a 1,900-acre offset parcel and benefits from a new fast-track permitting pathway that could set a template for future solar farms; the online date is projected around 2029 after about two years of construction.