West Texas isn’t home to just the massive Permian Basin oilfields but now is the site of a 3,600 solar operation that will help meet the growing demand for electricity in that part of the state. Orsted announced completion of its Permian Energy Center project, a 460 MWAC hybrid solar and battery storage facility …
Category: Solar Energy in Oklahoma
Report shows solar industry growth in Oklahoma
A new national report shows the U.S. solar industry’s employment dropped 6.7% from 2019 to 2020 while Oklahoma saw growth since 2012. The Solar Energy Industry Association said total U.S. solar industry employment was 231,4747 workers in 2019 but the employment also declined across all labor categories and in most states. The SEIA said …
Enel Green Power builds 11th Oklahoma wind farm
Renewable energy producer Enel Green Power has launched construction on another new wind farm in southcentral Oklahoma—its 11th wind project in the state. The company announced the 140 MW Rockhaven wind project is being built in Garvin and Carter Counties and is adjacent to the Origin wind farm which Enel has operated since 2015. …
Some Texas farmers oppose solar farm growth
East of Temple, Texas and northeast of Austin, farmers have become outspoken against the growth of solar farm development. One such farm near the town of Burlington in Milam County will take up 7,000 acres of land. KWTX reported that not everyone supports the growth. Click here for KWTX report.
Iowa landowners consider trading ethanol crop for fields of solar in $4.7M project
Some Iowa farmers are giving consideration to surrendering their farmland for the creation of a nearly $5 million solar farm, one that might provide them with a better income than the corn they produce. The project is the idea of Megawatt Photovoltaic Development Inc., a utility-scale solar developer that is seeking 1,500 acres of …
OG&E and Choctaw Nation Partner for Durant Solar Energy Expansion Project
Oklahoma Gas and Electric (OG&E), a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp. (OGE), recently announced that it will expand its Choctaw Nation/OG&E Solar Energy Center in Durant, Oklahoma by an additional five megawatts, according to a company press release. This brings the total solar capacity to ten megawatts. OG&E will construct, own and operate the additional five megawatt expansion, which is …
States move to regulate distributed solar power
More and more states are taking steps related to the distribution of solar power and the policies that apply to it. As PV Magazine reported, Kansas was one of them where its Corporation Commission recently rejected a proposed minimum grid access charge requested by Evergy. The magazine also noted that more than 40 states …
OGE expands Choctaw Nation/OGE solar center in Durant
Oklahoma Gas and Electric, a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based OGE Energy Corp. , announced that it will expand its Choctaw Nation/OG&E Solar Energy Center in Durant, Oklahoma by an additional 5-megawatts (MW), bringing the total solar capacity to 10 MW. OG&E will construct, own and operate the additional 5MW expansion, which is expected to come online by the …
Oklahoma ranks poorly in clean jobs report
Oklahoma ranked 33rd in the sixth annual Clean Energy Jobs Report released this week, a report that also showed for the first time a drop in the number of overall jobs in the clean energy sector. The report showed Oklahoma had 22,765 workers employed in the sector as of 2020 with 3,199 in renewables; …
Renewable energy development booms in New Mexico
New Mexico’s State Land Commissioner says the office has more than doubled renewable energy development on state lands over the past two years. The New Mexico Political Report says 466 megawatts were added since Garcia Richard took office and soon the office will get to a goal of tripling renewable energy on state trust land. Click here for …
