PLYMOUTH, Box Elder County — A brand new 80 megawatt photo voltaic farm in Box Elder County will present power to many Utah cities throughout the state.
The challenge, referred to as Steel Solar, consists of greater than 200,000 photo voltaic panels. Engineers with SOLV Energy stated it sits on about 900 acres off Interstate 15.
“They get a small radio sign from our operations middle based mostly in San Diego, so there are antennas throughout, related all the best way down the traces,” stated Luke Derby, challenge superintendent. “The computer systems from San Diego put every part on a timer and the radio is distributed and the rows are totally different because the solar strikes all through the day.”
Steel Solar is the most recent challenge of DE Shaw Renewable Investments (DESRI) in Utah.
“We are about seven or eight tasks, which is a giant funding for a few years, 5 – 6, seven years that we now have dedicated to investing on this state,” stated Hy Martin, chief improvement officer.
Cities across the state
The practically 600 acres of photo voltaic panels provide power to twenty cities: Blanding, Bountiful, Ephraim, Fairview, Fillmore, Heber Light & Power, Hurricane, Hyrum, Lehi, Logan, Morgan, Mt. Pleasant, Paragonah, Payson, Price, Santa Clara, Springville, South Utah Valley Electric Service District, St. George and Washington.
Each metropolis belongs to the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems, or UMPS. CEO and common supervisor Mason Baker stated 20 of their 50 members have chosen to go photo voltaic.
“Solar like it will generate as peak load happens in the summertime, in order that’s when our electrical energy demand within the system is at its highest,” Baker stated.
He stated the challenge solely works about 30% of the time in a yr.
DESRI’s photo voltaic farm in Tooele, referred to as Elektron Solar, lately started producing electrical energy for Salt Lake City, Park City, a number of ski resorts and Utah Valley University.
Baker stated house clients will not discover the distinction.
“As far as the general useful resource combine, it is nonetheless a small a part of it,” he stated.
Weather resistance
Derby stated the photo voltaic panels can stand up to excessive climate.
“If there’s an excessive amount of snow piled up on high of it, they will ship a sign to tip them throughout and dump the snow,” he stated.
He stated they may final about 25 to 35 years.
“Once a yr, they undergo like slightly bit like a upkeep examine, however for essentially the most half, we have labored out all the development bugs so it’s going to be clean for the following 5 to 10 years.” ,” stated Derby.
Half of the panels are one sided. The different half is bifacial.
“There must be some daylight reflecting off the bottom or the snow,” Derby stated.
Baker stated, whereas the panels value much less, they’re a useful resource that many Utahns depend on.
“There should be a various set of assets, if they’re renewable, we see a spot for pure fuel,” he stated. “We nonetheless have coal inside our useful resource portfolio, which will likely be there for some time.”
Martin stated the panels are more economical.
“What we have present in frequent with our fleet is that we are able to produce power at a decrease fee than older, much less environment friendly coal vegetation,” he stated.
He stated the capital value of Steel Solar is within the $100 million vary. UAMP member communities pay for energy as soon as it comes on-line.
“When the challenge really declares COD and begins producing power, the member communities of UMPS pay us for that energy, the renewable energy that we produce from the challenge for the following 25 yr,” stated Martin.
The developer will personal and function these photo voltaic farms for a very long time.
“We’re mainly growing and constructing clear power tasks wherever we are able to and we expect Utah is trying to the longer term and we need to meet that want with undoubtedly future clear power developments in power,” Martin stated.