Our 280-megawatt California Flats solar project located on the Jack Ranch produces enough clean, renewable energy to displace 109,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually

California Flats - Jack Ranch

Encompassing nearly 3,000 acres of the Jack Ranch, the 280-megawatt California Flats solar project produces enough clean, renewable energy to displace over 109,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually – the equivalent of taking 22,000 cars off the road. This electricity is being purchased under long-term contract by Apple for their Cupertino, CA headquarters and Pacific Gas & Electric.

The Jack Ranch was first identified as being highly suitable for renewable energy production in California’s Renewable Energy Transmission Initiative in 2009, with Hearst initiating active development in 2010. The California Flats project achieved commercial operation in 2019. From the outset, this utility-scale solar project was designed specifically to be compatible with sustainable grazing on the balance of the 73,000-acre Jack Ranch, owned by Hearst since 1965. As over one million individual solar modules produce carbon-free electricity, cattle still move and graze freely between the arrays, while sheep manage the natural forage on the interior. Additionally, in contrast to many other utility-scale solar projects, California Flats is not visible from any public roads.

Additionally, California Flats’ owner – Arevon – is now operating a 60-megawatt battery storage system utilizing eighty-four Tesla Megapack units. This system, completed in late 2021, stores electricity produced by California Flats and dispatches it into the grid during periods of peak demand.

An aerial shot of the 280-megawatt California Flats solar project.

An aerial shot of the 280-megawatt California Flats solar project. The hills and land is covered in green grass.

Solar panels from the California Flats solar project, with green grass in the foreground and a blue sky with white clouds above.

An array of solar panels among lush green hills. There are four black cows in the background on a hill.

An aerial shot of a Tesla Megapack battery station, surrounded by green grass and green hills.

Black cows in a lush green field, with solar panels behind them.

A low angle shot of solar panels. There is green grass with yellow flowers in the foreground, and a green hill sparingly covered with trees in the background.

A solar panel array in a field of yellow wildflowers.

A solar panel array sits in a lush green field full of pink, yellow, and orange wildflowers.

A low angle shot of solar panels, with lush green grass.

In addition to producing clean, renewable energy, California Flats provides Hearst with an alternative source of revenue ensuring the Jack Ranch will remain an intact, working landscape for many decades to come.