Case Study: Osawatomie Solar Array

Evergy is committed to providing our customers with cost-effective, reliable renewable energy solutions to help build a more sustainable future. Evergy is committed to being net-zero by 2045.

 The Evergy Energy Partners division has decades of experience developing diverse energy solutions with substantial long-term power cost benefits for utility, municipal, cooperative, and industrial customers. The benefits are accomplished by combining an in-depth understanding of long- and short-term utility planning, operations management, experience with regulators along with unparalleled experience negotiating multiple types of energy procurement and sale agreement structures. In 2024, we completed an exciting project to bring solar energy to Osawatomie, Kansas to support their commitment of bringing green energy to the community.

About Osawatomie, Kansas

Located in rural Kansas and incorporated in 1883, Osawatomie is a hardworking town with plentiful opportunities for recreation, new development, and family living. Just 55 miles southwest of downtown Kansas City along US-169 HWY, Osawatomie boasts small town comforts with easy access to the hustle and bustle of the KC Metro area. Along with water and wastewater services, the City of Osawatomie provides electricity to approximately 4,200 residents and businesses, and is continuously searching for ways to improve efficiency and affordability for consumers.

“The solar array has been a welcome addition to our energy portfolio. It provides us with clean, continuous power during our higher demand periods and allows us to fill a sizable hole in our portfolio that we use to fill with market purchases.” - Bret Glendening, City Manager of the City of Osawatomie

Our Goal: To Be a Part of Writing the Next Chapter in Osawatomie’s Story

As a forward-thinking municipality, Osawatomie was seeking a solution that would diversify the municipal electric utilities’ generation portfolio even further. Investing in renewable energy made sense for the city as it will reduce portfolio risk while providing low-cost energy benefits to its community. Adding the solar array directly to the city’s distribution system allows for resource diversification with no additional congestion or transmission costs. The array will provide predictable energy costs for 35 years or more as a long-term zero carbon energy source while also providing educational benefits for the community.

About Osawatomie Solar Array

Evergy Energy Partners and the City of Osawatomie have agreed to a 30-year Purchase Power Agreement (PPA). The construction took place in the fall of 2023 and the array was completed in the fall of 2024. Osawatomie & Evergy Energy Partners chose this location because it was designated as a site for economic development. The land was given to the city by the state for a project that would reap economic benefits, so a solar array seemed like the perfect fit. Evergy Energy Partners will own and operate the solar array, while the City of Osawatomie will be purchasing the power directly from the site to realize the full economic and environmental benefits for its customers.

Quick Stats

• Completed in the Fall of 2024
• 40-acre solar array
• 11,400 solar panels 
• Generates nearly 5MW of energy
• Pollinator-friendly grass blends used as groundcover
• Located at Osawatomie Rd and W 335th Street, Osawatomie, KS 66064

Project Details

Solar Array

The solar array is a collection of 11,400 solar panels that generates electricity as a holistic system. Each solar panel in the array captures sunlight and produces direct current electricity. The array is connected to a system that converts the direct current to usable alternating current electricity.

Bifacial Solar Panel

Evergy installed bifacial solar panels, which produce solar power from both sides of the panel. The bifacial panels are mounted over pollinator-friendly ground cover, allowing for greater solar power generation over time due to the cooling effects of the blend versus other ground cover options. The panels collect light directly from the sun and from light reflecting off the ground.

Single-Axis Tracker

Each bifacial solar panel is installed in a single-axis tracking system, which rotates the panels east and west throughout the day to capture more sunlight and generate more energy. Installing bifacial panels with single-axis trackers is an innovative strategy for optimizing the efficiency of the solar array as a whole.

Now is the right time to invest in renewable energy for your municipality or cooperative. Learn more about Evergy Energy Partners’ renewable energy solutions.