The project is located near Woody Creek in the Roaring Fork Valley on land leased from the Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District (ACSD). The land was originally purchased by ACSD for its dry land farming operation which put wastewater treatment by-products to beneficial use. Energy from the project will be sold to Holy Cross Energy, an electric co-op serving almost 45,000 members in Western Colorado, under a 25-year power purchase agreement.
“The completion of the Pitkin Solar Project is an important step on our journey to 100 percent clean energy for our members” said Bryan Hannegan, President and CEO of Holy Cross Energy. “We very much appreciate the efforts made by Primergy to work with Pitkin County to minimize the impact to the local community from the construction of this new source of clean and resilient energy for the upper Roaring Fork Valley.”
Primergy completed development, oversaw construction and will operate the plant. The project was originally slated to have 18,000 cubic yards of civil work and a 20-foot berm constructed. However, the Primergy team was able to eliminate these elements by utilizing its responsible and efficient construction processes, and low-touch land-management. Primergy installed the project without having to grade the site and minimised environmental impacts.
The site is located under a flight path near the Aspen Airport and next to a popular pedestrian trail and residential neighbourhood, which posed unique challenges including landscape requirements and glare concerns. There are approximately 13,700 solar panels installed and Primergy selected innovative solar products to help maximize energy production including bifacial panels and tracking systems. The panels are also a specialized anti-glare product to cut down on reflected light for both planes flying over and for neighbours.
In addition to the completion of the project, Primergy closed on tax-equity financing from Regions Bank. Regions Bank helped the company navigate the increasingly dynamic tax equity landscape, deliver expertise in an evolving clean energy market and provide efficient capital solutions. With the Pitkin Solar Project financing in place, Primergy expects to significantly expand its clean energy platform in distributed solar solutions for other local communities across the US.
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