Project Details
Project Overview
Red Antelope is a proposed solar and energy storage project under development by Avantus and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA). The Project site will be located on the Navajo Nation, within the LeChee Chapter between Highway 89T (N20) and Highway 98 along the Black Mesa-Lake Powell Railroad. The Project features a 400 MWac photovoltaic solar array (no mirrors) and a 1,200 MWh battery storage system. Once entirely constructed and operational, the Red Antelope facility will be one of the world’s largest solar and battery storage facilities.
Community Impact
The closure of the Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine adversely impacted LeChee and surrounding communities. Projects like Red Antelope help to offset the economic impact of plant and mine closures. Laid-off workers can retrain for jobs in a fast-growing industry and work close to home. Avantus has significant experience partnering with Native American tribes, including the Moapa Band of Paiutes in Nevada, the Quechan Tribe in California, and other communities impacted by coal plant retirement.
NTUA has also developed utility-scale solar projects. Phase one and two are completed in Kayenta and NTUA is currently developing projects in Red Mesa and Cameron. The Navajo-owned enterprise is moving the nation towards prosperity and independence through the production and sale of renewable energy from the sun. The utility-scale solar projects provide significant and lasting economic and environmental benefits for the Navajo people today and in the future.
The Red Antelope facility will generate no emissions or odors, and it will produce limited noise and have a low height profile. This means little to no impact on the natural beauty of the surrounding landscapes and the local tourism industry.
Project Site
The site area was selected for its proximity to the existing utility transmission lines left behind during the closure of NGS.The solar project will be built through consent and partnerships with permitted land users within their customary area. The project will not encroach on adjacent land use areas where the permitted land user(s) did not give written consent.
NTUA & Avantus will work with local families, chapter officials, and tribal agencies to identify cultural and burial sites and establish an avoidance area around the sensitive sites where ground disturbance will be prohibited. The developers will notify land users in advance of all environmental and geological studies that will be conducted.
LeChee, along with many other areas across the Southwest United States, is an ideal location for harvesting, storing, and delivering solar energy. The site has one of the best solar resources in the country, meaning panels installed there can produce more energy than in other places. Plus, new solar facilities can utilize existing transmission lines from NGS to deliver power to many different locations, helping meet the nation’s growing demand for renewable energy.
And while the power will be delivered and sold outside of the Navajo Nation, the LeChee community and the Navajo Nation will benefit from creating hundreds of local jobs and significant revenue from the site lease and sales taxes on the construction and operation of the facility.
Several solar energy developers are interested in building utility-scale solar projects in the area and have approached land users, chapter officials, and other community leaders, similar to how NTUA & Avantus has done. And while NTUA & Avantus support the development of additional solar farm projects in the area, it has caused some confusion.
History of Solar
Solar photovoltaic (PV) technology converts sunlight into electricity and was invented over 70 years ago. While making a solar panel and its efficiency have greatly improved over time, the main ‘ingredients’ have not changed. Most solar panels contain common recyclable materials: glass, aluminum, and silicon. Silicon is the second most abundant material on earth (after oxygen) and is the same semiconductor material found in computer chips.
Since solar energy is low-cost and safe to operate, it is the fastest-growing source of new electricity in the United States. Solar energy has grown 4,000% over the past decade. The Department of Energy estimates that solar could provide more than 40% of the nation’s electricity by 2035. This would help the U.S. meet its climate goals and align with several state-imposed clean energy targets and mandates. California, home to the first large-scale solar farms built in the 1980s, already has seen days where over half the state’s electricity demand has been met with solar PV alone.
Timeline
1954 - Solar Photovoltaic (PV) technology was created at Bell Laboratories
1977 - The Solar Energy Research Institute was established by Congress, renamed the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
1982 - United States’ first large-scale solar farm (1 MW) was built in Southern California
2001 - Home Depot stores begin selling solar power systems for residential homes
2012 - The 100 MW Agua Caliente Solar Project near Yuma, Arizona, was connected to the grid, making it the largest PV power plant in North America at the time
2013 - Worldwide solar PV installations pass 100,000 MW
2014 - Avantus completed 266 MW Mount Signal 1 project, the first phase of the record-setting 800 MW Mount Signal Solar Cluster
2015 - The 579 MW Solar Star comes online in Antelope Valley, California, making it the largest PV plant in the world
2016 - The U.S. surpassed one million solar installations and the first solar project on tribal lands was brought online, the 250 MW Moapa Southern Paiute Solar Project
2016 - Avantus completes Springbok 1 & 2 totaling 328 MW in Kern County, California
2017 - The Navajo Nation celebrated its first solar project, the 28 MW Kayenta Solar Facility. In 2019, the second phase was completed expanding its capacity to 55 MW
2019 - Navajo Nation President Jonothan Nez issues Navajo Sunrise Proclamation, an economic vision for the Navajo people including utility-scale solar energy development
2020 - Arizona Public Services (APS) sets a goal to produce 100% clean, carbon-free electricity by 2050
2021 - U.S. surpassed 100,000 MW of installed solar PV capacity
Red Antelope Solar
A Navajo Solar Energy & Storage Project
CREATING LONG-TERM BENEFITS FOR NAVAJO COMMUNITIES
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