Southern California has long distinguished itself as one of the most solar-friendly parts of the country, and one recently proposed project suggests there is little reason to believe this will not continue for the foreseeable future.

A Los Angeles Times report noted this week that an effort is underway to develop a solar power plant in Palmdale, using land that had been set aside years ago for an airport project.

The newspaper added that the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners has approved a process to request ideas from energy companies and utilities that may have an interest in establishing a solar facility on up to 10,000 acres of land.

The Times also notes that the airport project in question could still become a reality in the coming years, and that the proposed solar facility could make the idle land more profitable while allowing the airport to move ahead if and when the time comes.

California residents enjoy ample sunlight and favorable government policies that make that state particularly conducive to solar energy investments. However, people across the country have been finding that solar panels will work well in less sunny regions and that the up-front costs for such arrays have been falling in recent years.