A formal announcement for the Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell project is scheduled for June 22, 2023. The 20-megawatt project will be located in Russell County, KS. DEPCOM Power will design and construct the facility, which will be owned and operated by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation. The National Renewables Cooperative Organization facilitated the partnership. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.
The announcement will be made at a special reception at the Dole-Specter Conference Center in Russell for project participants, member systems’ board members and managers and elected officials.
With the harnessing of wind power, why would they want to capture solar energy as well?
The price of photovoltaic technology – that is, turning light into energy – has declined significantly. It is now a cost-effective alternative. Large, utility-scale solar projects are cheaper than smaller projects on $/ kW and $/kWh basis due to economies of scale.
Solar energy efforts qualify for federal tax incentives., always a good incentive.
The use of solar power will reduce or eliminate costly transmission upgrades due to its interconnection location on the bulk electric grid. The value derived from energy, capacity and transmission savings provides a positive impact on keeping rates low.
The Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell project will be located on 240 acres three miles east of Russell, KS. The project will capitalize on the abundant solar resources in the area; provide Sunflower with an on-peak, fixed-price hedge against the market price of energy; and alleviate the need for a transmission buildout. The project is expected to be a commercial operation by late 2023, with about 75,000 solar panels on single- axis tracking. When completed, the project will be equal in size to Sunflower’s first solar facility, Johnson Corner Solar Project, near Johnson City, KS. The project is expected to average 180 workers on site during the five-month construction period.
Sunflower is headquartered in Hays, Kansas, in the former St. Anthony’s. A formal announcement for the Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell project is scheduled for June 22, 2023. The 20-megawatt project will be located in Russell County, KS. DEPCOM Power will design and construct the facility, which will be owned and operated by Sunflower Electric Power Corporation. The National Renewables Cooperative Organization facilitated the partnership. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall.
The announcement will be made at a special reception at the Dole-Specter Conference Center in Russell for project participants, member systems’ board members and managers and elected officials. With the harnessing of wind power, why would they want to capture solar energy as well?
The price of photovoltaic technology – that is, turning light into energy – has declined significantly. It is now a cost-effective alternative. Large, utility-scale solar projects are cheaper than smaller projects on $/kW and $/kWh basis due to economies of scale. Solar energy efforts qualify for federal tax incentives., always a good incentive.
The use of solar power will reduce or eliminate costly transmission upgrades due to its interconnection location on the bulk electric grid. The value derived from energy, capacity and transmission savings provides a positive impact on keeping rates low.
The Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell project will be located on 240 acres three miles east of Russell, KS. The project will capitalize on the abundant solar resources in the area; provide Sunflower with an on-peak, fixed-price hedge against the market price of energy; and alleviate the need for a transmission buildout. The project is expected to be a commercial operation by late 2023, with about 75,000 solar panels on singleaxis tracking. When completed, the project will be equal in size to Sunflower’s first solar facility, Johnson Corner Solar Project, near Johnson City, KS. The project is expected to average 180 workers on site during the five-month construction period.
Sunflower is headquartered in Hays, Kansas, in the former St. Anthony’s Hospital building. Dedicated in 1931, for 41 years the structure now owned by Sunflower served the medical needs of northwest Kansas until the hospital was relocated on the east side of Hays. From 1972 to 1982, the former hospital building was unused. In 1982, the Sunflower Board of Trustees purchased and renovated the building for the new headquarters. The decision to refurbish the Hays landmark versus erecting a new building saved the corporation more than $2 million. Currently, the Sunflower workforce at seven generating stations and outlying offices is approximately 400.
