County Road and Bridge building goes solar

New photovoltaic panels installed at facility near Cattle Creek

PRESS RELEASE December 22, 2020

The Garfield County Road and Bridge facility near Cattle Creek south of Glenwood Springs is now powered by the sun. A new 25-kilowatt (kW) rooftop photovoltaic array is providing roughly 95 percent of electricity needed to power the building.

Located at 7300 Highway 82, the facility houses the county’s District 1 operations, including maintenance of county roads in from South Canyon to Carbondale, as well as storage of equipment and materials. The facility consumed 45,251 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy in 2019.

The system was installed by Avon-based Active Energies Solar, LLC in the three days prior to Thanksgiving. The panels and installation cost $45,330, have an estimated life of 20 years and will save an estimated $12,000 annually. The county worked with Holy Cross Energy (HCE) and Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER) on the project and is receiving an $18,500 rebate from HCE.

“We’re up and running and it’s saving us some money,” said Facilities Director Frank Coberly. “The crew came out and knocked it out quick and did a great job.”

Eight companies submitted bids for the project, with Active Energies’ bid being selected as the best proposal. For more information on the road and bridge facility and operations, go to garfield-county.com/road-bridge.