Developers in Wyoming had high hopes for their $155 million project. That project would be one of Wyoming's first agriculture-solar farms. However, after putting in all the effort and money, they are now facing a significant problem. They are having trouble selling the power.
Combo Agriculture-Solar Farm Is Now Having Trouble Selling Its Power
Getty Images by Thing Nong Nont
Despite the difficulty in finding a buyer for their power, developers of the project still have high hopes. I can understand why. After investing millions of dollars and three years' worth of time, I would want to remain hopeful, too. This new agriculture-solar farm would supposedly "generate badly needed property tax revenue for Goshen County," according to Cowboy State Daily. All while "allowing agricultural operations to continue on the same land, putting the 'farm' in solar farm."
Being able to produce solar energy all while maintaining agricultural operations seems like a win-win. Also, the project has had no issues generating power. According to the outlet, "The project aims to produce 163 megawatts of electricity." Not only that, but it is "shovel-ready" with permits. However, there is a caveat to all of this good news. Cowboy State Daily shares that "There's currently no feasible way to transmit that electricity to market, according to the company."
Still Touting The Benefits
Although the nonprofit Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association's transmission lines cross the project's lead property, Cowboy Energy has been unsuccessful in its attempts to strike a deal. The main reason the agricultural solar farm is having trouble selling power is that they are having difficulty getting the energy online. The development manager for the project, Paul Stroud, told the outlet that "Tri-State offered to transmit the electricity starting in 2034."
However, what would become of the project and its investments during those nine years? The delay has already caused the original investing partner to lose faith in the project and back out of it altogether. Now, the company is waiting for the annual "45-day window that opens up." During that time, "generating companies can apply for transmission with Tri-State." If their project is accepted, then it could take " up to 18 months or longer for a project to be reviewed."
However, publicly available documents showed that the project could have come online by 2029. So why the considerable wait? Perhaps it has to do with competition. Cowboy State Daily shared that there is another agriculture-solar-friendly project in the works. Despite the setbacks, Cowboy Energy stands firm in its project. They argue there is a tax upside to the project for the state and Goshen County.
Additionally, team members argued that the construction phase of the piece would create 250 construction jobs. Time will tell how successful this project becomes. However, the developers seem confident that they will overcome this trouble with getting buyers.
