Telluride Solar Garden Begins Production

San Miguel Power Association added a third community solar array to its distribution grid. The 250-kilowatt facility is a subscription-based community solar project, the first of its kind in Telluride. Erdman Energy partnered with the Nucla-based electric cooperative to provide SMPA consumer-members the opportunity to subscribe to solar energy without building or maintaining a system themselves on their own property.

Subscribers to the solar garden will see a credit on their power bill equal to their portion (up to 25 kW) of the array’s energy production each month. The recent announcement of Tri-State Generation and Transmission’s Responsible Energy Plan will allow the co-op to add additional community solar gardens in the future. SMPA is currently making plans to begin more solar developments this year. Keep reading the Energy Innovations Newsletter for updates on future solar projects in co-op service territory.