We write to thank The Aspen Times editorial board for their endorsement (“Solar farm proposal should get Pitkin County commissioners’ full support,” Aug. 30) for Pitkin County Solar, a 5-megawatt photovoltaic facility that will be located on a brownfield site in Pitkin County that has sat unused since 2005.
If approved by county commissioners on Sept. 25, this new solar array can power approximately 1,000 homes with clean energy and offset roughly 8,750 metric tons of CO2 annually, or the equivalent of taking 2,000 cars off the road.
Holy Cross Energy solicited the Pitkin County Solar project in direct response to community demand for local renewable energy. This project provides a unique opportunity for renewables in the Roaring Fork Valley and supports Holy Cross’s commitment to providing reliable, affordable and clean power to its members and communities. This project will help Holy Cross reduce our carbon footprint in accordance with our Seventy70Thirty plan announced last fall.
The owner of the land and applicant, Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District, is one of the largest consumers of energy in the area. From the beginning, Aspen Sanitation has recognized the significant benefits in repurposing a long-vacant brownfield in order to unlock substantial economic and environmental benefits by switching from coal-powered electricity to clean, renewable energy.
Over the last several months, Holy Cross and Aspen Sanitation have worked closely with partners and vendors to hear and address concerns and misconceptions from landowners, homeowners, climate activists and elected and appointed officials, among many others. We pledge to continue to work closely with neighbors to be the best partner we can be.
In advance of the Sept. 25 meeting, we urge county commissioners to consider the following two questions during their review: If not here, where? And if not now, when?
Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District and Holy Cross Energy