National Grid Renewables has commissioned South Dakota’s largest solar farm in Pennington County. The Wild Springs facility has a capacity of 128 megawatts (MW) and is connected to the Southwest Power Pool, which manages the electricity supply and wholesale power market in the central United States.
South Dakota’s largest solar farm
The Wild Springs plant projects a direct economic impact of approximately $29.5 million over the first 20 years. In addition, the plant will produce enough clean energy to power about 37,000 homes per year, which will prevent the emission of 190,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually, equivalent to removing 42,000 cars from the highways.
Also, National Grid Renewables announced that it will donate $500,000 to the New Underwood school district in the course of its operations. New Underwood Mayor Jack Trullinger expressed his satisfaction with this contribution, noting that the tax revenue and generous donation to the school district are welcome benefits to the community.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), South Dakota has 268 MW of installed solar power, ranking 42nd nationally, and is projected to fall to 47th in the next five years. However, in 2022, wind provided 55% of the state’s total net generation, a proportion surpassed only by Iowa.
Use of renewable resources
In the past 2022, renewable resources overall contributed about 84% of net electricity generation in South Dakota. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) notes that“although the state uses less total oil than almost all other states, its per capita consumption is high due to its small population.”
Bismarck, North Dakota-based Basin Electric buys Wild Springs solar power. Chris Baumgartner, Basin Electric’s senior vice president of external and member relations, emphasized the importance of adding solar power to its diverse generation portfolio, which already includes coal, natural gas and wind power.
Last month, Basin Electric announced plans to build a power generation plant in natural gas-fired power plant in North Dakota natural gas-fired power plant in North Dakota, which would become its largest facility. North Dakota has a surplus of natural gas as a byproduct of oil production.
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Source and photo: Nationalgrid Renewables
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