Solar complex planned near American Falls

Power County is looking to catch some sun. In a public hearing Tuesday night, the county will decide whether or not to build a solar complex on privately-owned farmland.

The project would bring up Power County’s capital investment. It will also get a portion of the revenue produced from the complex.

On April 20, Boise company SunEdison submitted two special use permit applications to build a $90 million solar complex on 400-acres of farmland about five miles west of American Falls.

Power County building administrator, Bob Steinlicht, said the complex will give them access to another power source.

“It’s unique to the county in the matter that it gives us alternate power sources of both wind, now sun, and the hydro power that’s produced at the dam,” Steinlicht said.

390 of the acres will be occupied by solar panels. The remaining ten will be a substation that will feed into the Brady substation in American Falls. The complex will produce 40 megawatts of power, which is enough for 15,000 homes.

Power County is slated to get around $225,000 annually.

Steinlicht said, “The county gets approximately 3.4 percent of the of the 40 megawatts of power that are produced by the solar panels.”

The one concern about the complex is potential radiation from inverters, devices that take electricity from the solar panels to the electric grid. Fort Hall also expressed concern, since the reservation acts as the project’s eastern border.

Steinlicht is sure SunEdison plans to address all concerns at the meeting.

“The company has been very forthcoming in addressing anticipated concerns as well as real concerns,” he said.

All electricity generated by the complex will be sold to Idaho Power.

The public hearing for the project is at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the commissioners chambers at the Power County Courthouse. If the project is approved, construction will begin this fall and finish by December 2016.