BP Solar is planning a 200-acre solar farm at Long Island's Brookhaven National Laboratory, made possible by a landmark power purchase agreement with the Long Island Power Authority.

The proposed project would power 4,500 homes.The 167,000-panel array would be the largest of its kind in the Northeast. BP wants to build the equivalent of a 32-megawatt generator, enough to power 4,500 homes. That energy would go to a LIPA substation near the lab, and then out through the grid that serves all of Long Island. LIPA has agreed to buy power produced there for 20 years, with BP obligated have the plant up and running in 2011.

About 150 acres of trees will be cleared for the project. The proposed site lies in the compatible growth area of the Long Island Pine Barrens, where some development is permitted. After objections from open-space advocates, the project was reconfigured to preserve 14 acres of Pine Barrens to the north. LIPA will also spend $2 million to preserve additional property in the Pine Barrens, and BP Solar plans to contribute $75,000 for ecological restoration there.

The project is not expected to raise LIPA rates, due to a combination of factors, including the project's relative size to LIPA's budget and federal appropriations. More coverage of the economic details of the plan can be found in the Long Island Press.