The Southern Ute Education Center in Ignacio, Colorado. Photo from Southern Ute Tribe
The Southern Ute Tribe of Colorado will build a solar power plant on the reservation. The 800-kilowatt facility will generate enough electricity for about 10 governmental buildings, according to a project description. The power will be transmitted through a distribution line owned by La Plata Electric Association as part of a new agreement. “It’s a demonstration project,” Bob Zahradnik, the operating director for the Southern Ute Growth Fund, told The Durango Herald. “It shows we can generate clean energy on the reservation effectively.” Southern Ute Alternative Energy, a tribal business, will use a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Energy for the project. The plans is expected to cost $3 million, according to a tribal document. "The project will occupy approximately 10 acres of land and will generate energy equivalent to a 15% offset of the total energy usage at about ten tribally owned buildings," the tribe said in a press release. Get the Story:
Solar power coming to Southern Ute government buildings (The Durango Herald 11/13)
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