TOOELE COUNTY, Utah — Solar energy became Utah's top source of energy in the month of May, according to the most recent figures from an energy think tank.
Data kept by Ember showed that solar power barely passed natural gas in terawatt hours generated.
On Monday, the solar company DESRI showed Congresswoman Celeste Maloy around its Horseshoe Solar Project in Tooele County. She said it was good to see the project doing so well.
"I'm here to see what innovations are happening and how companies are bringing innovation to Utah," she said.
The Horseshoe Solar Project's power is already spoken for by a major data center in Utah.
"It’s 75 megawatts," said Liz Peyton, deputy chief development officer with DESRI. "The energy is contracted with Rocky Mountain Power on behalf of Meta’s data center in Eagle Mountain."
Solar energy has seen big development in Utah, even in a political climate that doesn't always favor it. While Utah political leaders have said they favor an "all of the above" approach to energy, the Trump administration has been cutting tax incentives for solar and wind projects while also supporting fossil fuels.
Asked about those cuts, Congresswoman Maloy told FOX 13 News: "I would say I support an all-of-the-above energy policy. When the market is asking for wind and solar, that’s got to be part of the portfolio."
Part of Monday's visit was to show the benefits of solar energy. DESRI has built on state trust lands and its other projects contribute significantly to the electrical grid.
"We want to make sure that everybody understands the benefit these projects can provide. We’re really grateful for the Congresswoman’s support for an all-of-the-above approach because we think solar is a tremendously important part of the approach," Peyton said.
Sara Baldwin-Griffin, the CEO of Utah Clean Energy, said market forces are pushing to renewable sources that she said are being built cheaper, faster and easier to run.
"The market is doing its own thing. We have a longstanding growth trajectory of solar, wind, geothermal now coming online. And as a result of the scaling of these energy technologies, the cost is coming down per megawatt hour," she said.
Asked about the Ember data, Baldwin-Griffin said, "That just shows to me what we’ve been doing for the past few years is working."
Kent Udell, who is challenging Congresswoman Maloy for the Third Congressional District seat, said he would support wind and solar incentives. He also said he would favor a fee on top carbon emission sources to help deal with the impacts of climate change.
"If we’re really trying to get a handle on this, to get a handle this chaotic weather that we’re dealing with every year worse and worse every summer, we need to get a handle on our carbon dioxide emissions," he said.
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