High Voltage Support of Solar Interconnects
Power | Renewables
Location | Colorado
The Challenge
As renewable generation continues to expand across Colorado and the greater U.S. power grid, utility owners and developers face complex technical and regulatory challenges in safely integrating new solar and energy-storage assets. Existing substations often require significant upgrades to accommodate solar interconnections, while interconnection studies and preliminary designs must meet stringent Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) and Independent System Operator (ISO) requirements for voltage stability, protection, and control coordination.
The Solution
Halker provided comprehensive high-voltage engineering support for solar interconnections at five existing utility substations located in Weld and Larimer counties CO. The upgrades included installation of voltage sensing and supervised reclosing on solar feeders, new protective relays, 15 kV, 115 kV, and 230 kV equipment, as well as modifications to existing structures, new substation structures, and foundation design.
Beyond these local projects, Halker has performed interconnection studies and preliminary designs for solar and energy-storage facilities ranging from 750 kW to 300 MW across multiple RTOs and ISOs nationwide—delivering technically sound, compliant, and scalable solutions that help clients achieve reliable grid integration.