2025 West Best Projects
Best Energy/Industrial: SMUD Solano Phase 4 Wind Energy Project
SMUD Solano Phase 4 Wind Energy Project
Vista, Calif.
BEST PROJECT
Submitted by Clark Bros. Inc.
Owner Sacramento Municipal Utility District
Lead Design Firm Fisher Associates
General Contractor Vestas-American Wind Technology Inc.
Civil Engineer Fisher Associates
Structural & MEP Engineer WSP USA
CBI Electrical Subcontractor Christenson Electric Inc.
EPC Subcontractor Clark Bros. Inc.
Turbine Erection Barnhart
As part of a broader modernization strategy to increase renewable energy output and improve system efficiency, this project repowered an existing wind energy facility by decommissioning 23 outdated legacy turbines and replacing them with 19 advanced utility-scale wind turbines. Each new turbine is equipped with 150-meter blades and rated at 4.5 megawatts, giving the Solano Phase 4 Wind Energy project a capacity of 303 MW.
Spanning 5,900 acres in a remote part of Solano County, Calif., the project’s sheer size was a major challenge. Travel between the project’s multiple zones, with four access points, could take as much as 30 minutes, further complicated by limited cellular coverage. Daily plan-of-the-day meetings and end-of-day reviews provided crews with clear assignments and adjustments, while two-way radios allowed for improved, although limited communication.
Photo by Troy Cozbey
Approaching the midway point of construction, the contractor requested a two-month acceleration to support early turbine delivery and avoid winter weather delays. To make that shift possible, labor and equipment were reallocated to prioritize turbine access roads, delivery routes and foundation pads. The workforce also grew to more than 150, and the team adopted 12-hour shifts.
However, that change in schedule meant crews would be working in the area’s wettest season. Multiple environmental restrictions such as active nesting bird habitats and wetland permitting conditions already pushed the team to resequence work and relocate crews. Detailed work planning, increased environmental oversight, and hands-on managerial involvement kept the project moving forward.
Unstable terrain made passage difficult for the project’s cranes, especially after a critical turbine component was inadvertently staged on a main access road. These high-cost assets had $150,000 mobilization and daily delay charges as well. As a result, crews added ground matting and wood blocking, which stabilized the cranes’ paths and limited further delays.
Crews completed work on time and within budget in March 2025.
