NEW UNDERWOOD, S.D. – Despite being home to wide-open spaces and abundant sunshine, South Dakota ranks 47th in the nation for production of solar power and has lagged well behind other states for decades.

Less than a year ago, the only utility-scale solar farm in South Dakota was a 1-megawatt facility near Pierre, which became operational in 2016 and accounted for just 0.01% of the state’s overall power generation.