Clenera LLC says the 127.5 MW DC Wapello Solar photovoltaic project in Louisa County, Iowa, is delivering energy to the grid.
Located near Wapello, the project was developed by Clēnera, a company that acquires, develops, builds and manages utility-scale solar farms and energy storage facilities throughout the U.S. In addition to acting as the project developer, Clēnera is also providing ongoing asset management for Wapello Solar LLC.
Clēnera partnered with Renewable Energy Systems (RES) to construct Wapello Solar in six months, creating approximately 250 jobs at peak construction. Despite beginning construction during the COVID-19 pandemic, Wapello Solar progressed with little to no delays.
“We are thrilled to celebrate the commercial operation of our first solar project with Clēnera,” says Tim Jordan, senior vice president of solar construction at RES. “We are proud to make clean energy a reality in Iowa and we thank our team for their hard work and support to reach this milestone project.”
Located on nearly 800 acres, Wapello Solar features 318,000 bifacial solar panels supplied by Risen Energy that are fixed to FTC Solar’s Voyager single-axis trackers, which are optimized for bifacial performance. The 34 SunGrow inverters work to convert the 127.5 MW of direct current into alternating current. Central Iowa Power Cooperative (CIPCO) is purchasing the demand and energy from Wapello Solar through an exclusive 25-year power purchase agreement.
