Primergy Solar LLC, a Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners company, has completed construction on the Pitkin Solar Project, a 5 MW, 35-acre solar installation in Pitkin County in Colorado. 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,” says 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 construction processes and low-touch land-management. Primergy installed the project without having to grade the site and minimized environmental impacts. There are approximately 13,700 solar panels installed.
“Primergy Solar was an excellent partner to work with on this project” mentions John Keleher, ACSD’s chairman. “This solar project directly aligns with our purpose of protecting the environment. The power cost savings that result from our capital contribution will save ACSD customers money in the long run. This renewable energy project helps us directly off-set the large amount of power we consume providing advanced wastewater treatment for our customers.”
“In Pitkin County, as with all our projects, we aim to chart out the most responsible path toward clean power to make communities more resilient and sustainable. Our ability to deliver is not based on chance, but rigor and an obsessive focus on detail and process,” states Primergy CEO Ty Daul. “We are proud of the lasting partnerships we’ve created with local community agencies and members here in Aspen and with Holy Cross Energy.”
In addition to the completion of the project, Primergy closed on tax-equity financing from Regions Bank.
