Juwi, Platte River Power Authority partnering on Wellington solar array

WELLINGTON – Platte River Power Authority and Boulder-based solar developer juwi Inc. have signed an agreement to build a 22-megawatt solar energy facility near the utility’s coal-fired power plant near Wellington.

The project will use photovoltaic panels and may be expanded to 30 megawatts depending on the final design, Platte River said Monday. The 185-acre site selected for the project is on Platte River’s Rawhide Energy Station power plant property north of Wellington.

Juwi, owned by German renewable energy company juwi AG, will develop, design, build and operate the facility. The design phase will begin in early summer, followed by construction. Completion of the project is scheduled for late summer 2016.

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The solar array will provide energy equivalent to the average annual use of more than 7,000 homes in the towns and cities Platte River serves. Platte River serves Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland.

Fort Collins Utilities and Clean Energy Collective in Boulder also said Monday that construction has started on the Riverside Community Solar Array, a 632 kilowatt photovoltaic solar array in Fort Collins.

The 2,000-panel solar garden is being built on a 6-acre site at the former Dreher pickle plant at 500 Riverside Ave., which has sat idle for more than 20 years.

Initial development plans called for a 330-kilowatt system, but early demand led Clean Energy Collective to nearly double the final system capacity. Nearly 90 percent of the panels have been reserved.

After available rebates and tax incentives, pricing is expected to be $1.59 per watt, or $485 per 305-watt panel.