|
This is why 1,000 sheep on the
Colorado Solar Farm will be a win-win
Denver-based Guzman Energy had nearly no
approval for a solar farm to be built in western Colorado, but it
received unanimous approval from Delta County when wholesale
electricity providers agreed to add irrigation to support 1,000 sheep
and possibly host bees. , Commissioner of Colorado.
When Guzman Energy’s 80-megawatt (MW)
Garnet Mesa Solar Project is completed, it will become Colorado’s
largest agro-voltaic installation. The $80 million solar farm will sit
on 383 acres and generate more than 194,000 megawatt hours (MW) of
electricity annually, enough to power 18,000 homes. No construction
date has been given yet.
Electric cooperative Delta-Montrose
Electric Association (DMEA) will directly buy a portion of the energy
produced by the solar farm, and Guzmán Energy will divert the rest as
a supply of electricity to serve additional bulk customers. This will
enable DMEA to reach 20% local generation.
Agrivoltaics is defined as the
simultaneous use of land for solar power and agriculture. An Oregon
State University study published in 2019 found that “if less than 1%
of agricultural land was converted to solar panels, that would be
enough to meet global electric energy demand.” And two things can
really coexist peacefully.
Denver Post notes:
Guzman Energy, working with Citra Power
to build the solar farm, plans to spend about $1.5 million on
landscaping and irrigation. Initial plans call for planting 590
trees and 1,440 shrubs.
Sheep and solar panels paired together is
a win because the solar panels provide shade and shelter for the
sheep, and the sheep keeps the grass trimmed so solar farm owners
don’t have to maintain the hay. Also sheep get free food. (It’s a
little trickier with cows, though, because they’re bigger, so solar
arrays need to be taller and stronger.)
In addition, the shade that the solar
panels create reduces the heat and light below, thus helping to
conserve water. In the drought-stricken US West, it’s another victory.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory
(NREL) and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Solar Energy
Technologies are running an ongoing agrivoltaics research project
called Innovative Solar Practices Integrated with Rural Economies and
Ecosystems (INSPIRE), and it has just completed its Phase II research
is completed.
Jordan McNick, NREL’s principal
energy-water-land analyst and principal investigator of the INSPIRE
project, said in an August 18 NREL article:
Through our work, which spans multiple
regions, configurations, and agricultural activities, we have seen
many initially promising results.
Now, our challenge is to figure out how
to scale up and replicate these successes.
Photo: Solstice
Understand Solar is a free service
that connects you with top-rated solar installers in your area for
personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s
important to shop around for the best quotes. Click here to learn more
and get your quote. – *e.t.c,
FTC: We
use income generating auto affiliate links. More.
Subscribe to Electrek on YouTube for
exclusive videos and subscribe to podcasts.
Green Play Ammonia™, Yielder® NFuel Energy.
Spokane, Washington. 99212
www.exactrix.com
509 995 1879 cell, Pacific.
exactrix@exactrix.com
|
