A northern New Mexico power company is planning extensive expansion of its solar operations.
Taos-based Kit Carson Electric Cooperative’s largest solar array to date came online May 14, but the power company is developing two much larger facilities as it seeks to achieve 100 percent daytime solar energy by 2022 according to the Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper.
The new 3-megawatt array with more than 12,000 panels is located near the Taos water treatment plant. It is Kit Carson’s 17th solar array and brings its solar power production to 19.8 megawatts or 56 percent of its daytime solar energy, according to a Kit Carson news release.
A 15-megawatt solar array in Taos and a 6-megawatt array in Angel Fire are under development for Kit Carson, which serves companies in Taos, Rio Arriba and Colfax counties.
Local developer ParaSol constructed the three-megawatt array with all local labor. Construction began in October and was financed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service.
Source: Santa Fe New Mexican
