SNYDER – There’s nothing new under the sun about farming in southwest Oklahoma, but using large swaths of land to harness the sun’s energy seems to be the newest cash crop.
The North Fork Solar Farm, a 120-megawatt solar photovoltaic power generation facility, is located on 1,012 acres of land near Snyder recently went online and became the largest solar farm in the region to join Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority, according to a press release. The farm is located off of U.S. Highway 62 and is close to OMPA members Altus and Frederick.
It’s the first time solar power will be part of the company’s generating mix. In 2023, OMPA’s resource mix was led by natural gas at 55%. Other renewable energy generation came from wind, landfill-to-gas and hydro production. The press release also noted that three different coal plants the Authority owned a share in closed in the last six years. Coal dipped to 9% of the 2023 resource mix.
Recurrent Energy, a subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc., is the developer and will continue to own and operate the project long-term. OMPA officials said the Authority will purchase 100% of the energy produced under a 15-year agreement.
It’s also the largest solar farm in the Southwest Power Pool’s 14-state regional area, which includes Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. SPP is a regional transmission organization, which is a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
North Fork Solar is Recurrent Energy’s first project in Oklahoma and is also the first solar project for the SPP.
Also entering the renewable energy fields in Kiowa County is Amazon, reported Oklahoma Energy Today in November 2023. It’s the company’s first solar farm in the state, which operates wind farms in Caddo, Pontotoc and Beaver counties. Amazon’s goal is to help power its local operations such as fulfillment centers, sorting centers and delivery stations with the solar and wind farms, the publication reported.
It will be a 100-megawatt facility and the project is listed with the Energy Information Association, although a timeline for completion has not been announced.