Otter Tail Power Company to replace coal-fired plant with nearly 50 MW solar farm

The Otter Tail Power Company is swapping its coal-fired Hoot Lake Plant in Fergus Falls, Minn., for a nearly 50 megawatt (MW) solar farm with enough power to provide for approximately 10,000 homes annually.

The existing Hoot Lake substation will remain, connecting electricity produced by the farm to customers throughout the rest of Otter Tail’s service area. While plans are still being fully hammered out, and approvals are required from the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc., state regulatory agencies, and local government, the company is optimistic that construction could begin by early next year.

“We have an exciting window of opportunity to add a renewable resource and affordably interconnect the electricity from that resource to the energy grid,” Tim Rogelstad, Otter Tail Power Company president, said. “Solar generation has advantages that make it the right energy resource for us at this time and at this location. Over the past few years, the costs of solar energy have significantly decreased, and efficiency has increased. Using the area around Hoot Lake Plant allows us to be resourceful with our property in Fergus Falls and to wisely use existing transmission infrastructure.”

Hoot Lake Solar will guarantee that as much as 35 percent of Otter Tail’s energy supplies will derive from renewables. At the same time, Rogelstad said the addition will keep prices lower. The work supplements two other solar facilities in Minnesota and North Dakota, each of which brought 40 kilowatts to Otter Tail’s portfolio.