The 293 MW dc Sun Mountain solar project in Pueblo, Colorado has now entered commercial operation. The project is a partnership between Xcel Energy, Lightsource bp and contractor McCarthy Building Companies, and First Solar provided the solar panels.
The solar project was part of Xcel Energy’s 2018 resource plan and supports the company’s current Colorado Energy Plan that is expected to provide electricity from nearly 80% renewable sources and reduce carbon emissions 85% by 2030, while maintaining affordable and reliable service for customers.
The project is Lightsource bp’s second in the city with power sales to Xcel, representing a cumulative half billion-dollar private investment in Colorado’s clean power infrastructure.
“We are excited to complete another major solar project in Pueblo with Lightsource bp, adding even more renewable energy to our system. This collaboration benefits the community, the state and all our customers by bringing more clean, low-cost energy to our system, while meeting our commitment to our communities as we lead the clean energy transition,” said Robert Kenney, president of Xcel Energy—Colorado.
Lightsource bp has financed and will own and operate Sun Mountain, delivering the solar generated electricity to Xcel Energy under a long-term power purchase agreement.
The 293MW project is providing enough clean, affordable energy to power more than 53,000 homes, abating over 400,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually – the equivalent of taking 87,000 fuel-burning cars off the road each year.
At both Lightsource bp solar farms in Pueblo, the Sun Mountain and Bighorn Solar projects, Lightsource bp has installed and is conserving in total over 3,000 acres of shortgrass prairie, creating habitat for wildlife while bolstering the sites’ ability to sequester carbon.
Sun Mountain Solar created hundreds of U.S. jobs across the supply chain, while supporting domestic manufacturers and low carbon products. More than 400 people worked on-site to build the facility, about 200 of which were hired from the local community.
McCarthy Building Companies was engineering, procurement and construction contractor for the project which included installation of 636,990 ultra-low carbon solar panels manufactured by Arizona-based First Solar and smart solar trackers manufactured by New Mexico-based Array Technologies.
