Photo | Stockpack
By Zack Pistora, Kansas Chapter Director of Sierra Club
Kansas has continually ranked in the bottom for installed solar power, despite being positioned as a top state for solar resource potential Utility-scale solar, or “solar farms,” are (finally) taking hold in Kansas. Just this week, two new conditional use permits were approved in Finney and Ellis counties, adding 575 more megawatts (MW) to the budding Kansas solar portfolio.
On Tuesday, June 3rd, the Ellis County Commission approved the 175MW Tallgrass Solar Development by ibV Energy Partners that will span nearly 3 square miles near Hays, support millions of dollars in local investment and county revenue, and generate emissions-free, water-saving electricity for over 30,000 Kansan homes each year.
In Finney County on Monday, Commissioners passed a special use permit for Triple Oak Power to develop Sherlock Solar (400 MW) and Sherlock Storage (400MW) near Holcomb, KS, right near the Sunflower Electric Cooperative’s Holcomb 1 coal-fired power plant (349 MW). When built, Sherlock Solar will be both Kansas’ largest solar farm and largest battery energy storage facility.
These two projects alone will double the size of its current total for overall installed solar power, which is at 463 MW and ranked 41st for U.S. states as of May 2026 according to the Solar Energy Industries Association. Kansas ranks 42nd for residential “roof-top” solar and 40th for utility-scale “solar farms.”
Utility-scale solar represents one of the fastest growing, cost-effective energy generation sources in the United States. When paired with energy storage, this resource is some of the least-cost, most reliable electricity forms that will help Kansas harness a homegrown, eco-friendly resource that will produce local jobs and state investment that doesn’t pollute the air, nor compromise our water supplies. Transitioning to clean energy is not only a win for our community and state, but for the planet in curbing fossil-fuel burning and induced climate change. The Sierra Club in Kansas continues to advocate for maximizing solar energy in the most eco-friendly and community-positive way.