Utahs first floating solar farm is complete [video]

Renewable developer Ameresco teamed up with water utility Mountain Regional Water Special Service District to launch Utah’s first floating solar farm.

The floating solar array sits on a holding pond at the Signal Hill Water Treatment Plant in Summit County, and the goal is to help the plant dramatically cut down on its energy costs.

Floating solar developer D3Energy also worked with Ameresco to build the 587.5 kilowatt (KW) floating solar array. It’s designed to generate 871,086 kilowatt-hours of clean energy annually. It will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 609 metric tons annually, the equivalent of preventing the burning of 670,649 pounds of coal. By powering the water treatment plant directly, the system will offset 92% of the plant’s grid energy consumption and reduce energy costs by 80%.

The project got support from Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky program, which contributed a $400,000 grant. This project is a part of Rocky Mountain Power’s …