Final solar panel installed at Black Hollow Sun

SEVERANCE — The last photovoltaic panel has been installed at Black Hollow Sun, a solar facility near Severance in Weld County that will become Northern Colorado’s largest solar project when it’s operational later this year.

The complex’s first phase, Black Hollow Sun I (185 MWp), located along Weld County Road 90, entered commercial operation in September. With the completion of panel installation at Phase II, just to the south along Weld County Road 23, the project now advances toward energization and commissioning. It is designed as a single integrated facility.

Installation at the site began in September.

Once fully operational, the complex is expected to generate approximately 608 gigawatt hours of clean electricity annually, delivered to Platte River Power Authority, a community owned public power generation and transmission utility, under a 20-year power purchase agreement.

 The output will be sufficient to power more than 73,000 homes and businesses across the PRPA communities of Fort Collins, Estes Park, Longmont and Loveland, representing PRPA’s largest contracted solar asset.

The installation of the final panel — the last of more than a half million across the entire complex — was celebrated on-site last week by representatives of PRPA and ContourGlobal Ltd. The symbolic installation was made by ContourGlobal CEO Antonio Cammisecra and PRPA general manager and CEO Jason Frisbie.

“The installation of the final panel at Black Hollow Sun II marks an important milestone for ContourGlobal and a moment we are proud to share with Platte River Power Authority,” Cammisecra said in a prepared statement. “We are now moving into energization and commissioning of the project as we progress towards full commercial operation in the upcoming months. This installation of the final panel together with Jason demonstrates how our partnership goes beyond formal agreements, thriving on close collaboration between our teams. We are excited about the opportunity to further strengthen and expand our relationship with PRPA.”

“This project is essential to advancing the noncarbon energy goals of our owner communities, and reaching this milestone reflects more than seven years of dedication from our project team,” Frisbie said. “Since launching the project in 2019, we’ve overcome significant challenges — from the pandemic and related delays to supply-chain disruptions and inflation. Throughout it all, our team remained steadfast in bringing this resource online for the benefit of our communities.” Black Hollow Sun represents ContourGlobal’s first large-scale solar construction in the United States and a significant step forward in the company’s renewable expansion nationwide. It complements ContourGlobal’s diversified U.S. portfolio that includes 1.2 gigawatts of thermal capacity and a portfolio of more than 1.1 GW of renewable generation, including projects in operation, under construction or advanced development across Colorado, Virginia, Arizona and South Carolina.

According to a news release, London-based ContourGlobal (LSE: GLO) “has worked with the Town of Severance, Weld County officials and local residents to align development with community priorities, while ongoing collaboration with PRPA has ensured coordinated milestones and long-term regional benefits.”

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