PHOTO GALLERY: Work begins on largest solar array in Missouri

Rob Hartley from Mid Missouri Electric connects the wiring from a series of solar power generating panels on the roof of the COLT Transload facility in north Columbia. Under a contract with Omaha-based Free Power Company, the city is responsible for site preparation and connecting the solar arrays to the electricity grid, while Free Power purchases and installs the solar panels.
  |  Greg Kendall-Ball

City of Columbia employees begin clearing a field east of the COLT Transload facility before the Free Power Company of Omaha, Neb., begins the installation of a 3,500-panel solar array. When completed, the solar array will generate 1,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per hour, making it the largest in the state.
  |  Greg Kendall-Ball

A series of prototype pilings and tables sit in a field east of the COLT Transload facility in north Columbia. City employees began clearing the field Monday morning in preparation for the installation of a 3,500-panel solar array, which will be the largest in the state when completed.   |  Greg Kendall-Ball