PSEG Rawhide Flats Solar Center Dedicated
PSEG Solar Source, the Platte River Power Authority, and juwi recently dedicated the PSEG Rawhide Flats Solar Center. The 36.3 MW-dc (30 MW-ac) facility is located 25 miles north of Fort Collins, Colo.
Platte River Power Authority is a not-for-profit utility that generates and delivers safe, reliable, environmentally responsible, and competitively priced energy and services to its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont, and Loveland. Platte River’s generation portfolio includes thermal, hydro, wind and solar resources. PSEG Solar Source is a subsidiary of PSEG Power, a merchant power generation company which is part of the Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) family of companies.
juwi Inc. is a privately-held renewable energy company based in Boulder, Colo. juwi’s primary business is the development, design, construction, operation and maintenance of utility-scale (1 MW and larger) solar energy generation facilities in North America. To date, juwi has developed and built large-scale solar projects in 14 states in the United States, totaling more than 300 MWs of operating capacity. It has also developed numerous operating large-scale wind energy projects in North America.
The PSEG Rawhide Flats Solar Center was built on a 190-acre site leased from the power authority at the Rawhide Energy Station and will generate enough electricity to meet the needs of 8,000 Colorado homes.
“We’re pleased to partner with Platte River Power Authority to bring emission-free energy to its customers and in helping Colorado achieve its renewable energy goals,” said Diana Drysdale, President of PSEG Solar Source. “By investing in solar projects like this one, we at PSEG are doing our part to lay the foundation for a clean, green and economically vibrant energy future for everyone.”
PSEG Solar Source has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Platte River, a wholesale generation and transmission provider.
“This facility is a significant step in the continued diversification of our generation portfolio,” said Jason Frisbie, Platte River general manager and CEO. “It reduces the risk of depending on any single source of fuel and increases our renewable resources.”
juwi developed the project and served as its engineering, procurement, and construction contractor. The facility will use approximately 117,000 polycrystalline panels. “We are thrilled to be a part of energizing one of the largest solar projects in our home state here in Colorado,” said Michael Martin, president of juwi. “We look forward to the successful operation of the Rawhide Flats project and to continued partnerships with clean energy leaders like Platte River and PSEG Solar Source.”
The Rawhide Flats facility has been in startup mode for the past week and should shortly begin commercial operations. Once it begins commercial operations, PSEG Solar Source will have 15 facilities in service in 11 states with a total capacity of 215 MWs. It has two facilities, totaling 100 MWs, in construction which it expects to have in service within the next two months. This latest addition to PSEG Solar Source’s portfolio represents an investment of more than $54 million.