Most people would agree that our world has become overly dependent on carbon burning technologies that generate greenhouse gas and other harmful air emissions. As an alternative, companies are looking to methods such as harnessing the wind and the solar energy produced by the sun into renewable, clean energy sources.
Here in Navajo County we have seen the Dry Lake II wind farm project come to fruition, resulting in massive wind turbines dotting the horizon along the highways leading from Holbrook to Snowflake or Heber. The finished product did not come easily, as area residents concerned about potential health concerns and land value reduction voiced their opposition to the project.
Now Aurora Solar will be going before the Navajo County Planning and Zoning Commission on Thursday, Aug. 18, to request a special use permit for Dry Lake II Solar, a photovoltaic, or solar, electrical generating facility within a portion of the Dry Lake II Wind Farm. It’s no coincidence that the two operations would be in close proximity, as Aurora Solar is a wholly owned subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, the company that owns the wind farm.
According to the project’s business developer, Jen Bradford, this is the first attempt by Iberdrola to blend the two concepts of wind and solar for optimal usage of the elements.
Aurora Solar is proposing to construct the solar facility on approximately 399 acres located four miles north of Snowflake, and expects to produce up to 50 megawatts of renewable energy if the permit is approved. Why the company believes the area is suitable for solar power generation is obvious. The relatively flat topography, and the abundance of sunshine and intense solar radiation, fill the requirements for a successful operation.
The application to be reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission states that the area is currently zoned at Rural 20, which will be compatible with the request as long as the company receives the special use permit. If approved, the site will consist of solar units called “blocks.” A typical block extends approximately 140 feet north to south and 300 feet east to west. Each block would contain approximately 18 motorized solar tracker units supported on driven pier foundations. Each of these tracker units, in turn, would support 40 to 100 or more solar panels.
During the course of the day, the tracker units pivot to allow the solar panels to follow the sun as it moves across the sky. With the solar panels, the total height of the arrays is no more than approximately six feet.
Each block would also include a contained inverter unit for DC to AC voltage conversion and associated transformer. For a 50 MW project there would be 50 one-MW inverter units. Each inverter unit would be approximately 15 feet high and would be mounted on a 42’x12’ concrete pad. From the inverter units, the power would be carried by cables, which usually run underground, to a central collection area where it would be transmitted to a local utility.
The application notes that there would be no hazardous releases with the operation and maintenance of the solar facility. The photovoltaic technology proposed for the project is designed specifically to absorb light rather than reflect it, thus minimizing glare.
If the application is approved and the project moves forward, it will provide approximately 200 jobs during the six to nine-month construction phase, then one to two permanent positions once the facility goes into operation.
