Kansas City leaders continue planning for largest US solar array
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City leaders are continuing their plans for what could be the country’s largest solar array.
The sustainability project will bring thousands of solar panels to 3,000 acres of vacant land near Kansas City International Airport.
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City Manager Brian Platt said the project will provide locally produced energy, stabilize energy rates and reduce Kansas City’s carbon emissions.
“In Missouri last year, two-thirds of electricity was produced by coal sources,” Platt said. “Thinking about how much of an impact we can make on reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality and quality of life for all of our residents with something like this.”
The panels could produce up to 500 megawatts of electricity power. That’s enough to power up to 70,000 homes and bolster the city’s grid resiliency.
“Issues that we’ve had with grid stability and brown outs and black outs that happened and making sure we’ve got enough energy supply for the future of Kansas City,” Platt said. “This allows us to have locally produced energy.”
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Contract negotiations will continue between the city and 816 Consortium, a group of four local companies: Evergy, Burns and McDonell, Herzog Railroad Services Inc., and Savion.
Leaders are hoping to break ground sometime in 2024 on the first phase of the project.
