Black Hollow Solar will have capacity for 257MW of power for the
utility's service region.
SEVERANCE, Colo., July 11,
2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Platte River Power
Authority (Platte River) and turnkey solutions partner Qcells
USA Corp. (Qcells), broke ground
on northern Colorado's largest
solar generation project on July
10.
"Black Hollow Solar represents a major milestone in our journey
of working toward our noncarbon energy goals as outlined in the
board-approved Resource Diversification Policy," says Jason Frisbie, Platte River general manager/CEO.
"We are proud that Black Hollow Solar, when completed, will bring
the total amount of solar capacity in our portfolio to 309 MW, help
replace the coal-fired generation we will be shutting down before
the end of the decade and is by far the largest solar generation
project in northern Colorado."
The first phase of the project is expected to be complete in May
of 2025 and will deliver approximately 367,000 megawatt-hours (MWh)
of energy annually to Platte River's owner communities of
Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland. Phase two of Black Hollow Solar will
add an additional 107 MW of capacity in 2026, totaling 257 MW for
this project. This is enough to power over 63,000 homes and will
increase Platte River's total solar capacity to 309 MW.
"Colorado is a national leader
in low-cost, renewable energy and we remain focused on protecting
our air quality and environment while saving people money. This
project will help us do that by expanding solar capacity in our
state and helping Colorado reach
our goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040 while strengthening
northern Colorado communities like
Severance," said Governor
Jared Polis.
Per the agreement with Platte River, Qcells will provide turnkey
solutions including project development, engineering, procurement
and constructions services and will supply over 540,000 Qcells
modules on the Black Hollow Solar project. The electricity
generated will be sold to Platte River beginning in May 2025 under a long-term power purchase
agreement.
Energy will be delivered to Platte River's owner communities in
Colorado's north Front Range
through a substation currently under construction, adjacent to
Platte River's existing transmission system.
"Qcells is pleased to have been selected by Platte River to
develop and construct this exciting project and solidify our
commitment to supporting Colorado's low carbon energy future," said IP
Kim, Qcells president. "We are proud to provide energy solutions
that support a partner like Platte River, promoting good
stewardship of the community while also realizing the benefits this
project brings as a clean source of sustainable energy for the next
25+ years for northern Colorado
communities and to the growth of American energy."
The site is located northeast of Black Hollow Reservoir, near
the Town of Severance, CO and the
infrastructure will utilize nearly 1,400 acres. Platte River and
Qcells engaged with local authorities and stakeholders, including
neighbors, state agencies, town councils and county leaders to
identify this site. The location was selected after careful review
of physical and environmental impacts, land-use constraints and
stakeholder feedback.
As Platte River continues to replace coal-fired resources with
renewable energy technology, the addition of Black Hollow Solar
along with existing renewable resources will increase Platte
River's total noncarbon energy generation on an annual basis to 58%
serving almost 75% of the utility's four owner communities' energy
needs. Platte River is currently evaluating its next round of
renewable energy projects including wind and battery storage to
continue the pursuit of the utility's and its owner communities'
noncarbon energy goals. Learn more about Platte River's plans for a
noncarbon future at prpa.org/future.
Qcells
Qcells USA provides complete
utility-scale turnkey solutions through the entire project
lifecycle from modules, solar and energy storage project
development, and Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC)
services to the US utility-scale market.
With a track record that includes 8.4 GW of sustainably produced
module manufacturing capabilities in Georgia and nearly 2.7+ GW of
under-construction and developed, constructed, and operating
projects, Qcells USA is a
dependable partner throughout the entire project lifecycle. Qcells
USA is a flagship company of
Hanwha Group, a FORTUNE Global 500 firm and a Top 7 business
enterprise in South Korea.
For more information, visit qcellsusa.com and on LinkedIn.
Platte River Power Authority
Platte River Power Authority (Platte River) is a not-for-profit,
community-owned public power generation and transmission utility
that provides safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and
financially sustainable energy and services to Estes Park, Fort
Collins, Longmont and
Loveland, Colorado, for delivery
to their distribution utility customers.
Media Contact
Nick Centera, Qcells, 1
619-750-5712, nick.centera@qcells.com, us.qcells.com
Maia Jackson, Platte River Power
Authority, 1 970-568-6678, JacksonM@prpa.org, www.prpa.org
LinkedIn
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SOURCE Qcells