Xcel Energy Inc. announced on Tuesday it will work with Community Energy Solar to build a $200 million solar power farm in Pueblo County, Colo.
The solar power plant is expected to take about 15 months to build, and construction is set to start by late this year or early next year, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. These dates depend on land-use approval by the Pueblo County government. The plant is expected to start operating in the summer of 2016.
Community Energy Solar said it wants the farm be able to generate enough energy to power 31,000 homes in its first year, the Business Journals reported.
Eric Blank, president of Community Energy Solar, said the project will be the biggest solar power farm between the Rocky Mountains and the East Coast, according to the Business Journals. Blank also said the farm will be one of the biggest in the U.S.
David Eves, chief executive of Xcel's Colorado subsidiary, said in a statement that cost-efficiency is one of the benefits of focusing on utility-scale solar, the Denver Post reported.
"This large-scale generating facility provides the advantage of renewable energy at a price that is right," Eves said.
Blank discussed Xcel's reason for choosing to build the project in Pueblo, the Pueblo Chieftain reported.
"We were drawn to Pueblo County and the Comanche substation as a great combination of high solar insolation, a welcoming community with open land and a strong interconnection point," Blank said.
Xcel said the tracking technology in the farm follows the sun as it rises and sets, which will provide power during the company's highest demand periods. The company also said that during the 25 years of its existence, the farm will produce over 6 billion kilowatt hours of solar energy and bring down carbon dioxide emissions by about 3.5 million tons, the Pueblo Chieftain reported.
"We believe strongly that solar energy is for everyone and it is clear that many of our customers and fell Colorado citizens share our passion for solar energy," Eves said.
