Salt Lake’s “largest renewable energy initiative” is now up and running after several hiccups

ROWLEY, Tooele County — A massive solar farm spread across 550 acres of land west of the Great Salt Lake has finally come online, providing a major new source of renewable energy for several Utah towns – and others – looking to transition to renewable energy sources.

Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall and Park City Mayor Nann Worel were among the dignitaries present Monday as DE Shaw Renewable Investments and SOLV Energy cut the ribbon to signal the opening of the Elektron Solar Project after several unforeseen geopolitical issues.

“This is the largest renewable energy initiative Salt Lake City has ever participated in,” Mendenhall said moments before cutting the ribbon. “We are leading by example and showing what the future of renewable energy can look like in Utah.”

Monday was more of a celebration of the 80-megawatt solar farm, as the project was completed earlier this year. According to its owner, DE Shaw Renewable Investments, the company achieved commercial status in mid-May.

The energy generated by the farm is connected to the Rocky Mountain power grid. Salt Lake City, Park City, Summit County, as well as Park City Mountain, Deer Valley Resort and Utah Valley University are among the customers who have signed agreements to purchase electricity generated by the solar farm for periods of 20 to 25 years.

The contracts cover 80-85% of the electricity needs of Salt Lake City municipality-owned buildings and just over 90% of UVU buildings.

“Despite some unexpected challenges, the determination of every partner here has brought us to this incredible moment,” Mendenhall added.

Planning began about five years ago and was initially expected to be completed in 2023, after the ground broke in October 2021. The land project leaders selected for the project are managed by the Utah Land Trust and are located on the site of a former Superfund site .

But he encountered problems along the way that no one expected when the planning process began.

The trouble began months before the groundbreaking ceremony, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection withheld silicon-based products manufactured by Hoshine Silicon Industry Co. or related to it due to work ethic concerns. Reuters reported at the time that the company and its subsidiaries were “major producers” of products needed to build solar panels.

Similar federal policies followed suit once construction began. In March 2022, U.S. Department of Commerce officials launched an investigation into whether solar panels arriving in the United States from Southeast Asia were Chinese products that illegally avoided U.S. tariffs, slowing the solar market. The department finally announced last year that it had found evidence that five of eight companies in Southeast Asia were illegally circumventing Chinese products to avoid paying tariffs.

The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act — a bill that received near-unanimous congressional support before it was signed into law by President Joe Biden — also went into effect while this investigation was ongoing. It imposed penalties on any product imported into the U.S. from China’s Xinjiang region unless the company could prove that no forced labor was involved, ultimately further disrupting the solar market.

Rising interest rates have impacted supply chain shortages, creating more “difficulties” for project managers to maneuver around, said Hy Martin, director of development at DE Shaw.

The now completed solar farm is helping several groups with ambitious goals to significantly reduce or completely offset greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades.

Salt Lake City officials, for example, say the project represents the biggest step yet toward achieving the city’s goal of running a grid of 100% net renewable energy by 2030.

“Today’s residents and future generations rely on our unwavering commitment to sustainability, and this project aims to deliver on our promises to shape a healthier future for all,” Mendenhall said.

Other entities that have signed energy purchase agreements have similar goals. Deer Valley Resort officials say they also want to be 100% net renewable by 2030, while Park City Mountain officials note they would like to achieve a “net zero operating footprint” by the end of the decade.

Val Peterson, UVU’s vice president for administration and strategic relations, told KSL-TV in April that the solar farm is a key component of the school’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050.

“This project is a testament to our community’s commitment to clean, renewable energy and will power the city’s operations, from buses to streetlights,” Worel added.

This year, the new solar farm will also have plenty of company.

DE Shaw’s website notes that it has several other projects in Utah expected to come online in 2024 that will add 195 megawatts to the grid. He also oversees a project in central Utah that is expected to be completed next year and will consume another 300 megawatts.