New 10 MW Sunpower Solar Plant Generating Power for OG&E

The Covington solar plant is anticipated to generate enough electricity to serve the needs of over 1,000 average Oklahoma homes, based on estimates provided by the Solar Energy Industries Association.

OGE Energy Corp. electric utility subsidiary Oklahoma Gas & Electric (OG&E) and SunPower Corp. has announced completion of a 10-megawatt (AC) solar photovoltaic power plant in Covington, Okla. Approximately 85 jobs were created during peak construction of the facility.

“With Covington online, we now have 12.5-megawatts of solar generation in our portfolio, all of which has been presold to customers who want the benefits of solar power,” said OG&E Chief Operating Officer Keith Mitchell.

“Along with our solar facility in Mustang, Oklahoma, Covington helps us continue to learn how solar can complement our other generation sources to provide reliable and low-cost power to our customers,” Mitchell added.

A SunPower Oasis Power Plant system was installed at the 80-acre site by Moss Solar, a division of the construction firm Moss. The Oasis system is a complete power plant solution that installs quickly to maximize value for customers.

Product features include 50 percent fewer parts than conventional solar tracking systems, an integrated design that streamlines construction and reduces operations and maintenance costs, and cost-effective, high-efficiency SunPower P-Series solar panels, which produce more energy than conventional solar panels over the lifetime of the system.

“The SunPower Oasis platform and SunPower P-Series solar panels are optimizing the cost-competitive solar power generated for OG&E customers,” said Tom Werner, SunPower president and CEO. “We commend OG&E for its commitment to solar, and for selecting high performance SunPower technology to ensure a long-term return on investment.”

SunPower is now providing operations and maintenance services at the site.

The Covington solar plant is anticipated to generate enough electricity to serve the needs of over 1,000 average Oklahoma homes, based on estimates provided by the Solar Energy Industries Association.

OG&E owns the renewable energy credits associated with the system.