Navajo Nation opens first solar farm
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Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, an entity of the Navajo Nation, began generating electricity last month with its newly installed solar farm located on 200 acres five miles north of Kayenta, Ariz. The solar farm is visible on the west side of U.S. Highway 163.
The 27.3-megawatt Kayenta Solar Project is the first large-scale solar energy facility on the reservation. The electricity it generates is sold to the Salt River Project for distribution.
The solar farm has 120,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The panels track the movement of the sun for maximum solar absorption. The solar panels are equipped to lie flat when wind speeds get over 50 mph. Two weather stations are on site that monitor wind speed, temperature and humidity.
Glenn Steiger, the solar farm’s project manager, believes solar farms have a bright future in Arizona and the Navajo Nation.