Plans were announced Wednesday for the first utility-scale solar project by Rocky Mountain Power. The 9,000-panel solar farm in Utah will produce enough power to supply 500 homes. Paul Murphy is the company’s spokesperson. He says Rocky Mountain Power is responding to the trend of increased customer desire for renewable energy and tax incentives being offered to keep the initial company investment down.
“There is a huge commitment to renewable energy and when you look at the energy mix, you’re going to see that get bigger and bigger as years go by." says Murphy. "You’re going to see coal actually come down…natural gas and renewable actually go up.”
Murphy says the possible location of the utility’s solar farm is still being worked out.
“There are areas in Southern Utah that you can get 15 to 20 percent more energy by building it there rather than in Salt Lake,” says Murphy.
Murphy says that does not rule out the possibility of a Salt Lake County location and he noted the project will be partially funded by the Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program. If approved by the Public Service Commission, the project is expected to be operational by June 2016.
