OG&E, SunPower to build solar plant

Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co. and SunPower Corp. are teaming up on a 10-megawatt solar power plant in southeastern Garfield County that will begin construction next month.

The project, north of Covington, will be OG&E’s second solar farm, after a 2.5-megawatt plant was built in 2015 on the grounds of its Mustang power plant in far western Oklahoma City.

SunPower will design and build its Oasis power plant system at the 80-acre site. The plant is expected to begin commercial operation in early 2018. The project, which will cost between $15 million to $20 million, will have more than 38,000 photovoltaic panels.

The Oasis system has 50 percent fewer parts than conventional solar plant systems, an integrated solar tracker design and SunPower’s P-series solar panels, which the company said produce more energy than conventional solar panels over the lifetime of the system.

“We commend OG&E for its commitment to including solar in its energy mix, and for selecting high-performance SunPower technology to ensure reliable, long-term return on investment,” Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO, said in a news release.

The Covington solar plant is expected to generate enough electricity to serve about

1,000 average Oklahoma homes. OG&E will own the renewable energy credits associated with the system.

The project will qualify for Oklahoma’s zero-

emissions tax credit, which ended for wind July 1 but still applies to solar generation. The incentive offers a 0.5 cents per kilowatt hour tax credit that can be carried forward up to 10 years. The credit is refundable for 85 percent of its value.

The Covington solar project will operate on

the distribution side of OG&E’s system, meaning its power won’t be sent to the grid for non-OG&E customers. OG&E has a waiting list for its community Solar Power program where residential customers can sign up for special rates at different times of the day during summer months.