Alamosa – Solar
Date: 05/15/2020
State: CO
Issue: Renewable Energy
Partner: Grand Canyon Trust
Airport Origin : Aspen-Pitkin County Airport
Mission
The Alamosa Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Plant is an 8.2 megawatt-dc installation located on roughly 80 acres of land in the San Luis Valley, near an Xcell substation in Alamosa, Colorado.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) designated Colorado's San Luis Valley near the substation in Alamosa as the best spot in the state for solar energy, with nearly 340 days of sunshine a year.
The Alamosa solar plant generates approximately 17,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power 1,500 homes.
The solar plant will generate enough clean energy to offset the carbon emissions produced by cars driving 765 million miles over 20 years. Xcel Energy is using the plants power to help it meet renewable energy standards that require it to derive 20% of its power from renewable sources by 2020.