Utah’s First Utility-Scale Solar Grid is Online

The good people in Utah have been hard at work getting their solar financing options in order over this past year. The state’s first utility-scale solar farm was revealed earlier in December as part of Utah’s major push for solar energy, which is expected to boost its energy production by 915 megawatts within the next few months.

The Red Hills Project

Headed up by a Norwegian solar technology company, the Utah Red Hills Energy Park is located 6,000 feet above sea level, in Parowan, Utah. Parowan’s elevation makes it a perfect location for this type of infrastructure, allowing the photovoltaic panels to gather as much sunlight as possible. 

Solar financing made the incredible 104-megawatt-plant possible, but it is only a small fraction of the entire effort. Under a 20-year agreement, Rocky Mountain Power will purchase power from a number of solar farms like Red Hills, all of which are currently being built in Iron, Millard and Beaver counties. 

Jeff Barrett of the Utah Office of Energy Development is impressed by the change. He says that although the state has historically lagged in emissions-free technology, Utah is “becoming a leader and it's just on the back of a couple of years of development.”

Utah’s Energy Future

As one of the sunnier states in the America, Utah is already among the leading states in terms of solar financing for private solar projects amongst businesses and homeowners. Now that the state government is making an effort to increase local solar capabilities, Utah will soon be a leader in public solar-energy creation. 

"We look out to the future and see renewables all around us. Having this out there will help us get the word out why renewables are important," said Parowan City Manager Shayne Scott. Hopefully this can become a recurring theme for cities and states around the country. 

Ian Carry is a renewable energy writer for Fusion 360, an SEO and content marketing agency. Information provided by Elements Capital Group. Follow on Twitter.