Howard Trott believes in building with the future in mind.

Trott, who grew up in Bellevue, and his family have lived in a home in Kirkland’s Houghton neighborhood that they tore down, recycled and then rebuilt over a year. Now, he is taking on a project of global proportions.

Trott, who attended Newport High School and Bellevue Community College, is the head of the Teanaway Solar Reserve, which will be the world’s largest solar plant. The photovoltaic array will rest on 400 acres in the Teanaway Valley in the Ellensburg area of Kittitas County and is expected to produce enough power for 45,000 households.

“We will use 400,000 panels,” said Trott, who is the managing director of the project. “They are the same ones that would go on your house.”

The plant is expected to produce 75 megawatts of power. In comparison, a coal-fired power plant can generate between 1,200 and 14,000 megawatts of power. In terms of renewable energy, Puget Sound Energy has a solar power facility at its Wild Horse Wind Farm that generates one-half of a megawatt.

“We see green energy as a good commodity,” said Trott. “The increase in manufacturing capacity has led to price for panels to decrease.”

“It has gone from $3 now down to $2 a watt,” said Trott, who’s project is expected to be completed by 2011. “When you compare it to gas there will be more and more demand in the future with more electric cars coming out.”

One of the catalysts for the project is the fact that energy companies in Washington state are required to supply 15 percent of renewable electricity by 2015. Trott said that their goal is to sell the power in state, but knows they may have to look elsewhere.

The biggest hurdle for the project was expected to be the regulatory aspects. But Trott said that the project has garnered “great support” so far.

“This project is more than just an energy creator, it’s a jobs creator. The proposed Teanaway Solar Reserve would create hundreds of new jobs from the investment of hundreds of millions of dollars in Kittitas County,” Sen. Patty Murray told thebioenergysite.com.

The project will manufacture the panels in Cle Elum.

“I hope this helps promote the use of solar panels,” said Trott. “It is an educational process. The more factories and demand creates better efficiency for home owners and better prices.”

Another challenge has been the frequent snow that falls in the Teanaway Valley. Trott turned to Europe, which is the world leader in solar-generated power, to help with solving the snow issues.

With technology moving along at a dizzying pace and the recent problems that oil baron T. Boone Pickens has experienced with his wind farms in Texas, Trott is aware of the risks in renewable energy. He also hopes for better technology in the photovoltaic world but is realistic since solar panels have been producing at about 20 percent efficiency for a long time.

“I have watched this for a long time,” said Trott, who managed investments for 22 years for telecommunications magnate Craig McCaw, current chairman and former CEO of Clearwire Corp. “We have basically had the same panels for 20 years. We don’t see the technology running out in front of us.”