The Platte River Power Authority Board of Directors has unanimously authorized the acquisition of up to 30 megawatts (MW) of solar energy resources from a facility to be built at the Rawhide Energy Station north of Wellington, CO.
The facility would occupy about 185 acres and include roughly 100,000 photo-voltaic panels. Construction could start as early as spring 2015 and take about twelve months to complete. Once in operation, the facility would produce electric energy equivalent to the average use of nearly 8,000 homes in Platte River's owner communities – Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland, Colorado. The Larimer County Board of Commissioners approved Platte River's 1041 land use permit application for the facility on December 8.
“The addition of solar into our renewable mix is well aligned with our strategic initiative to diversify our generation resource portfolio,” said Jackie Sargent, Platte River General Manager and CEO. “The new facility will be a great complement to our existing non-carbon emitting wind and hydro resources. As we plan for the future, expanding our pool of resources will help us to reduce carbon emissions and better manage risk.”