Members of Grand Valley Power, the electric co-op serving rural areas in and around Grand Junction, now have a new opportunity to harvest the sun’s energy for their electricity. They can access Grand Valley Power’s new solar farm.
The new solar farm is on Grand Valley’s property along Interstate-70 near the 29 Road overpass. Members can lease solar panels fro a 25-year period and receive credit for all the power generated by their panels.
One of the major advantages of the program is that Grand Valley Power will main¬tain the solar farm and the customer only pays for the cost of the panel, which is a $950 investment per solar panel. The one-time investment will be due when the lease agreement is signed.
It is estimated that one solar panel will produce 34 kWhs per month or approximately $44 per year in electricity credits. While one panel will not offset an entire electric bill, the solar farm will allow the customer to build the credit from solar over time at an investment pace that is comfortable to the customer.
The solar farm is ideal for members whose homes are not properly sited for solar installations, for those who rent their homes, for office spaces or for anyone who would like to purchase solar panels but can’t afford the large investment of installing panels on an individual site. A second benefit of the solar farm is that customers may transfer the credit if they move within Grand Valley Power’s service territory.
The solar farm is designed to provide a self-sustaining program that is perpetuated by only the members interested in investing in solar technology. It also allows more people at all income levels to participate in solar energy options.