Mountain Parks Electric Builds New Solar Array

The board of directors for Granby-based Mountain Parks Electric, a nonprofit electric provider, approved the purchase of electricity from a 1.3-megawatt solar array to be built in Jackson County. Microgrid Energy plans to construct the solar array several miles north of Walden, just east of Highway 125. MPE will purchase the solar generation for 20 years after the array is constructed.

The electricity generated from the array is estimated to produce enough electricity for 300 homes. Mountain Parks Electric “will save money on wholesale power costs with every kilowatt-hour generated by this solar array,” says Tom Sifers, MPE general manager.

Other renewable energy projects in MPE territory include hydroelectric generation from the Granby Dam, Grand Lake’s micro-hydro recovery system and the Williams Fork Dam. This solar generation array will add to the local renewable power supply, increasing it their renewable portfolio, which currently stands at 30 percent.