RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH FACILITY
OperatingPower plant
- County
- Pennington County
- Operator
- BLACK HILLS POWER
- Status
- Operating
- EIA plant ID
- NOT AVAILABLE
- Coordinates
- 44.0703, -103.2022
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH FACILITY, a power plant in Pennington County, South Dakota. Operated by BLACK HILLS POWER.
Weather peril exposure
RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH FACILITY is a power plant in Pennington County, SD, operated by BLACK HILLS POWER. Pennington County carries critical modeled catastrophe exposure in the FEMA National Risk Index, scoring 4.5 of 5 at the 87th national percentile. Wildfire is the leading peril, rated Relatively Moderate by FEMA at the 96th percentile.
The Bywatts loss layer is calibrated to solar PV hardware, so it is not applied to this plant. The ratings below are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings for this location.
Pennington County hazard ratings
| Peril | FEMA rating | National percentile | Peril score | Events per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildfire | Relatively Moderate | 96th | 4.8 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 89th | 4.6 of 5 | 5.8 |
| Winter weather | Relatively High | 81st | 4.2 of 5 | 17.2 |
| Lightning | Relatively High | 78th | 4.1 of 5 | 39.9 |
| Heat wave | Relatively Low | 73rd | 3.9 of 5 | 0.89 |
| Ice storm | Relatively High | 70th | 3.8 of 5 | 0.12 |
| Riverine flooding | Relatively Moderate | 44th | 2.7 of 5 | 2.1 |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 37th | 2.5 of 5 | <0.01 |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 29th | 2.2 of 5 | 0.58 |
| Strong wind | Relatively Low | 12th | 1.5 of 5 | 2.9 |
Perils not assessed in Pennington County
These perils carry no usable National Risk Index figure for this county, so they are excluded from the scoring rather than scored zero. A zero would claim the peril was assessed and found benign.
| Peril | Why it is not scored |
|---|---|
| Hurricane | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
| Coastal flooding | FEMA rating is "Not Applicable" for this county |
Model hail, wind and flood exposure for Pennington County in the weather risk calculator
Ratings are the FEMA National Risk Index county hazard ratings; the peril score is a Bywatts transform of the FEMA national percentile. Full data sources and the solar vulnerability methodology are in the weather risk calculator.
Modeled estimate for screening and negotiation. Built from FEMA National Risk Index county hazard data and a solar vulnerability layer documented above. Not a quote, a binder, or actuarial advice, and not a substitute for a carrier's own model. Hazard data: FEMA National Risk Index December 2025, synced 2026-07-24. Resolution is county level, not site level.