Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners has finished building a new solar farm on the eastern border of Rich County. According to the head of the company’s US investment team, building in Rich County was a no-brainer.
“While we are a Danish-headquartered company, we are quite global in terms of our investment reach. The particular area of Utah where this project has been built was ideal for solar perspective in terms of the level of sunshine the area gets as well as the dynamics around the electricity market there,” said William Demas, head of the company’s US investment team.
The project includesa solar tracking system that can withstand the high altitude and snow load conditions found in the area. The solar farm contains 636,000 First Solar Series 4 panels, and is anticipated to generate enough energy to power 14,000 homes each year – and to generate some other benefits, too.
“Solar power today is competitive with traditional energy sources, even some instances in Rich County it can be lower than traditional energy sources. We hope to be providing cheaper and cleaner energy to the local residents. The plant has also created jobs through construction, as well as will employ local residents during operations,” Demas said.
The solar farm is currently in a period of finalization and commissioning. Demas expects that it could be ready to go online in late September.
“This is actually our firm’s first solar project that is coming online. So, it’s a huge hallmark for our fund. We’ve been able to deliver a project to our investors that will provide long-term stable cash flows as well as benefitting the local community,” Demas said.
