The Dakota Electric Association, Great River Energy and SoCore Energy hosted a ribbon cutting debut of a onemegawatt solar project in Marshan Township on Thursday morning. The project is estimated to produce more than 1.5 million kilowatt hours annually, making it possible to power more than 150 homes with clean, renewable energy. The 3,906 photovoltaic panels are mounted at a 25 degree angle facing due south, according to SoCore representative Andy Seward, and the project took just over 60 days to install. Each panel is able to generate 310 watts and the so-called garden will produce more than 1 and a half million killowatt hours of electricity each year. The project’s life should be 25 years, with SoCore responsible for maintaining and reporting the energy created by the system which is located on the west side of Hwy 316 just 3 miles south of Hastings. An inverter system charges the direct current and converts it into alternating current, necessary to power electrical devices. Dakota Electric Association CEO Greg Miller explained how the current system operates and looks, already, at the next generation of solar collection and storage.
More from the event when we talk with Joe Miller, public relations director, on an upcoming edition of Community In Depth.
