National Grid Renewables has launched Wild Springs, South Dakota’s largest solar farm, in Pennington County. The 128-megawatt (MW) solar farm, part of the Southwest Power Pool, includes a 114 MW power purchase agreement with Basin Electric Power Cooperative.
Expected to provide $29.5 million in economic impact and $12 million in new tax revenue over 20 years, Wild Springs will generate enough clean electricity to power 37,000 homes annually, avoiding 190,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions each year.
Unique to National Grid Renewables, the project will also donate $500,000 to the local New Underwood school district.
Despite South Dakota’s strong wind power presence, solar energy remains limited, with the state ranking 42nd in installed solar capacity.
Basin Electric’s senior vice president, Chris Baumgartner, expressed enthusiasm for integrating solar into their diverse energy portfolio, which includes plans for a large natural gas power plant in North Dakota.