Patua Geothermal's 83-Acre Solar Array

The Hunt Electric Renewable Energy Division provided design-build services for a 10 MW AC solar array which includes over 43,000 solar panels. The array is located in a remote area of western Nevada and was unveiled by Cyrq Energy with Governor Sandoval yesterday. Hunt Electric was responsible for engineering, procuring and installing the utility ground-mounted solar array that will be used in conjunction with geothermal energy to produce and provide energy to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD).

“We are pleased to have played a role in this innovative project,” said Brok Thayn, Hunt Electric’s Renewable Energy Division Manager. “Our team worked hand-in-hand with the client and was able to turn over the site 26 days early while remaining on budget.”

The 83-acre solar array provided unique challenges to the team, who had to work through hot and windy conditions. There were many design and installation challenges along the way, including material procurement in a condensed timeline. Ground screws were used to install the array in lava rock terrain. Hunt Electric provided the medium voltage and fiber backbone with interconnection to a 120kV substation. It was required to connect the controls from the solar array to the existing geothermal controls.

The project is owned and operated by Cyrq Energy. The project team included Empower Energy, SolarWorld Americas, Inc., NEXTracker, Schneider Electric, Brahma Group, Inc., TerraSmart, SJC, and Tholl Fence.