Coming soon: Black Hollow Solar
Black Hollow Solar will be the largest solar array to date on Platte River’s system. When complete, the Black Hollow Solar project will deliver approximately 367,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy to Platte River’s system each year, enough to power approximately 36,000 homes. Energy from the project will replace output from Platte River’s share of the coal-fired Craig Unit 1, which will retire from service in 2025.
We’re creating a noncarbon future for the communities we serve. Learn more.
To accommodate greater renewable integration with Platte River’s transmission system, the Severance Substation is currently under construction and is expected to be completed in spring 2025. Learn more here.
Commercial operation: Spring 2025
Net capacity: 150 MW
Fuel type: solar photovoltaic
Operations: intermittent
Location: Severance, Colorado
Operations
- Project will span approximately 1,000 acres
- 311,300 photovoltaic solar modules
- Single-axis tracking system
Financials
- Power will be purchased from Qcells
- Platte River receives full energy output of project
- Will generate power for approximately 43,000 homes per year
Environmental
- Renewable resource of energy
- Zero air emissions
- Estimated lifespan of 30+ years
- Located near existing transmission infrastructure
Rawhide Prairie Solar
Commercial operation: 2021
Net capacity: 22 MW
Fuel type: solar photovoltaic
Operations: intermittent
Operations
- Facility covers approximately 150 acres
- 77,200 silicon photovoltaic panels
- Single-axis tracking system
- Battery stores up to 2 megawatt-hours of solar energy and discharges at a rate of 1 megawatt when the sun isn't shining
Financials
- Power purchased from Greenbacker
- Platte River receives full energy output of project
- Generate power for approximately 6,000 homes per year
Environmental
- Renewable resource of energy
- Zero air emissions
- Estimated lifespan of 30+ years
- No new transmission required
- Located at an existing industrial facility, no new real estate (acquisition) needed for installation
Rawhide Flats Solar
Commercial operation: 2016
Net capacity: 30 MW
Fuel type: solar photovoltaic
Operations: intermittent
Operations
- Facility covers approximately 185 acres, approximately the same amount of land occupied by Rawhide Unit 1 operations
- Total of 117,120 photovoltaic panels
- Single-Axis tracking system
- Generates enough power for approximately 8,000 homes each year
- Facility produces 64,000 megawatt hours per year or approximately 2% of the owner communities’ annual energy needs
- Annual output equal to approximately 10,000 residential rooftop solar installations
Financials
- Power purchase agreement runs through 2036
- Fixed price contract
- Platte River receives full energy output of project
- Right to own facility in the future
Environmental
- Renewable resource of energy
- Zero air emissions
- Estimated lifespan of 30+ years
- No new transmission required
- Located at an existing industrial facility, no new real estate (acquisition) needed for installation