energy

Norwood Unites Against Proposed Solar Farm

By Julia Caulfield

A proposed solar farm just southwest of Norwood is drawing criticism from the community. This week, residents showed up for a meeting to express their disapproval. KOTO’s Julia Caulfield was there and brings this report.

The Lone Cone Library in Norwood is packed. More than 200 members of the community are meeting for a presentation on a proposed solar farm just outside of town.

The solar farm, called Wright’s Mesa Solar Project, is 100 megawatts built on roughly 600 acres over 4 parcels of land on Lone Cone Road. OneEnergy Renewables, the company proposing the project, was in Norwood to host the meeting.

“All this information has been public for ten days,” says Nathan Stottler, Associate Director for Project Development at OneEnergy Renewables, “We put out a little bit to get people interested, to get everyone to the meeting. We’re hoping to be as transparent as possible.

But, the welcome was less than warm.

“You’ve given us ten days, but how many days have you been working on it?” One man asks from the crowd.

Stottler replies, “Please hold your comments to the end. You can chew me out in about 30 minutes.”

Stottler says while he understands not everyone will agree, solar is an ideal renewable energy source in Colorado.

“Solar is a really great Colorado product, as everybody here knows, we get a ton of sunshine in Colorado, a really great solar resource, and one of the reasons OneEnergy chooses to work here,” Stottler says. “Colorado is also interested in reaching 100% renewable energy by the end of 2040 and this solar farm would certainly contribute to that.”

Stottler goes on to say, “Solar is also seen as a very compatible use with many rural areas, although I understand some folks here are going to disagree with me. It’s a nonpermanent use. At the end of the lifetime it’s going to be removed and the land is going to be very easily restored to the previous use.”

According to Stottler, OneEnergy is looking for a temporary permit for the solar farm, lasting 30 to 40 years.

When it comes to the Western Slope, Stottler says Tri-State Generation and Transmission has shown an interest in having renewable energy in the area, and there’s also the land. OneEnergy is working with one state owned parcel, and several privately owned parcels to build the solar farm.

“We’ve gotten some great suggestions from some folks on where we can stick our solar farm,” Stottler says, to laughs from the audience, “A lot of y’all suggested further west in San Miguel County, it’s open, no body lives out there. I agree. I would rather put it out there. We looked at that before we ever looked at Wright’s Mesa. We looked in Dolores County. We looked in Montezuma County and the wide open spaces out there. So much of that land out there is Gunnison Sage Grouse habitat which makes it unbuildable. As an endangered species, that land is untouchable for us.”

The land also allows OneEnergy to join in with an already existing transmission line. “There are many transmission lines in the country,” Stottler notes, “very few on the West Slope, and those that are there, a lot of them, the energy capacity that moves along those lines are already spoken for.”

When it comes to local benefits to the community, Stottler points to nearly $8 million in property taxes to the county over the life of the project, influx of dollars while the project is being built, and lease money for the property going to Colorado schools.

But during public comment, lasting over an hour, residents of Norwood were not sold.

“OneEnergy has not handled a project of this size. We are not the place for you to learn how to do your business,” says one man.

“This community has been screwed more than once by the Eastern Slope. We don’t see that $9 million for our schools. We don’t see any of that stuff,” another woman says, “You can talk to us all you want about these big tax benefits. They don’t benefit us. Telluride will get the property taxes, and the Eastern Slope is going to get the school taxes. We won’t see it.”

One woman shares “The Town doesn’t have capacity to meet the needs. I don’t know what your traffic control plan is going to be coming up Norwood Hill. Where are you going to put your people? How are you going to get them here? And how are you not going to ecologically and economically devastate this community for large industrial benefit. It doesn’t benefit us. It benefits your pocketbook.”

Another man jokes, “I’m a citizen. I’m a father. Husband. Business owner. But really I’m the only person in here you need to worry about, because I just found out I identify as a Sage Grouse.”

“While solar farms undeniably contribute to mitigating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, it is crucial to consider the negative impacts as well. Finding a balance between renewable energy generation and minimizing economic and public disturbance should be your priority,” says one man. “This project is pushed and desired by people on the east side of our county. But they do not want this project on the east side. They cannot even stand the possibility of affordable housing in the Telluride area. We are not their dumping ground.”

Finally, one member of the audience says the issue is not an ideological one. “If that was slated to be a coal mine, and they were going to strip mine that, all the same people would be in the same room opposed to it. It is not ideological. The issue that I see here is that you came into a community and came in here without our input.”

OneEnergy plans to submit its proposal to San Miguel County in the next several weeks. The project needs approval from the San Miguel Planning and Zoning Commission and the San Miguel Board of County Commissioners to move forward.

OneEnergy hopes to construct the solar project in the next 3 to 4 years.

Solar Up and Running at Last Dollar Community Solar Garden

By Julia Caulfield

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A cloudy day, with slushy now spitting from the sky may not seem like the ideal time for taking a trip to a solar array. But that doesn’t seem to dampen Tim Erdman’s spirit.

“It was 100 and some, now it’s 219 kilowatt hours. We’re putting power on the grid. I mean, that’s exactly what’s happening, carbon free power being put on the grid, and that’s a good thing. Anything we can do to help,” says Erdman looking at a power meter.

Erdman is the owner and operator of the Last Dollar Community Solar Garden, just outside Telluride, behind the airport. He bought the property around 2010, with the hopes of creating a small solar garden. Now, after close to a decade, his dream has come to fruition.

“These are the inverters that convert the DC power coming out of the solar panels to AC. The fact that it’s humming means it’s producing. I don’t think it’s above freezing right now, but these are thawed because these are known as bifacial solar panels and they’re glass on both sides with the solar panels sandwiched between them. Even when there’s snow on the top side, the bottom side will absorb reflected light and create some heat that should help clear the tops of snow,” Erdman explains as he gives a tour of the solar garden.

According to Erdman, the solar garden holds just over 800 panels, on a little less than an acre of land, nestled into Deep Creek Mesa.

“It’s really as unobtrusive as it might be. You can’t see this from many places because of the ridges on both sides, and yet we have the full center of the day’s sun – which is when you get most of your production anyway,” he notes.

Erdman began constructing the solar array last fall. Now that it’s up and running, he plans to begin offering subscriptions to the energy. Erdman says individuals or businesses will be able to buy subscriptions up to 25 kilowatts, for 20 years.

The San Miguel Power Association will monitor the energy produced by the solar array and apply a credit to subscriber’s monthly energy bill.

According to Terry Skyler, Energy Services Executive for San Miguel Power Association, the solar garden isn’t the most cost effective way to use solar. He notes users get a larger credit from SMPA if they add solar panels to their own home. But he adds, subscribing to the solar garden can be a good option for those who don’t have the money, sunlight, or space to install their own panels.

Skyler notes, “This is a way for them to participate in local renewable generation.”

Erdman recognizes the cost saving isn’t huge, but he adds that’s not the point.

“It’s not as good an investment, but it’s not an investment. This is a subscription to a solar garden, and it’s a way to either offset an impact fee, or it’s a way to show – or to have – solar power being part of your carbon footprint,” Erdman adds.

And the focus on having a smaller carbon footprint is a shift Skyler says he’s seen from SMPA members in general. He says the Last Dollar Community Solar Garden is bringing SMPA up to its 5% cap of locally generated power, based on its contract with Tri-State Generation and Transmission. And SMPA is working with Tri-State to increase that cap. It’s a shift, Skyler says, from when SMPA signed the contract around 30 years ago.

According to Skyler, “The priority was low cost, highly reliable electricity. Our priority as a cooperative of members is shifting towards favoring more local renewables, or more renewables in general. So we’re responding to that demand by maxing out the allowable amount of generation through that policy, and we’re also pushing, and working with Tri-State to amend that policy to meet the needs and wishes of our members.”

Erdman describes the solar garden as a passion project, or a labor of love. He spent his career as an architect, designing medical clinics across the country. But he says ever since he was a student, getting a degree in natural energy systems, he’s believed in the importance of alternative power.

So, aside from selling subscriptions for the solar energy, Erdman says a large focus for him is showing individuals how easy solar can be.

Erdman says, “My dream and my expectation is that as solar panels and photovoltaic equipment improves, it will become part of the build environment. That is, the walls, and the glass in buildings will actually produce photovoltaic solar energy. I’d like to see how much I can help in terms of showing people what can be done, and helping them get it done.”

The Last Dollar Community Solar Garden currently humming along, putting carbon free energy on the grid. Erdman plans to actively begin accepting subscriptions for the solar energy in March.