July 23, marked the much-anticipated groundbreaking for Garnet Mesa Solar, an 80-megawatt agrivoltaic solar facility located just a few miles southeast of Delta. DMEA, along with Alluvial Power and the Delta County Commissioners, commemorated the occasion, highlighting the benefits of local affordable energy production.

“Our goal is to provide safe, reliable, and affordable power, in that order. And Garnet Mesa Solar enhances all of them. It is our hope to bring forth other such initiatives in the future,” stated Johnston during his welcome remarks.

Construction of the Garnet Mesa Solar array is expected to be complete by the summer of 2025. Once operational, it will produce approximately 200,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually: enough energy to power roughly 18,000 average homes. DMEA will receive a portion of the energy produced by the plant, helping the co-op achieve an energy mix comprised of 20% local power.

As one of the largest agrivoltaics facilities in Colorado, Garnet Mesa Solar will simultaneously support local agriculture and energy production. The array will provide more than 200 irrigated acres of grazing land, with plentiful shade provided by the solar panels and another 500 trees. Sperry Livestock Corporation of Delta County will also graze up to 600 sheep on the array grounds.

During remarks, DMEA CEO Jack Johnston noted that the co-op’s efforts to generate local energy began in earnest in 2010 with the development of five hydroelectric facilities. Shortly thereafter, in 2011, DMEA installed two community solar gardens, which provide energy directly to its members. Most recently, in 2020, DMEA established a power supply partnership with Guzman Energy, bringing new flexibility and opportunities for greater local energy development.

Johnston also recognized the many partner organizations that worked together to bring Garnet Mesa Solar to fruition, including the Delta County Commissioners and staff members, Guzman Energy, and the new long-term owner and operator of Garnet Mesa Solar, Alluvial Power. Alluvial has been working closely with Guzman Energy and DMEA and assumed ownership of the project in June 2024.

“We are excited to invest in Delta County and have a long-term presence here […] We are really excited to bring reliable, low-cost, long-term energy solutions to DMEA and Guzman,” remarked Brian McCurdy, Alluvial Power Principal.

Delta County Commissioner Don Suppes also addressed the crowd, acknowledging the challenges and hard work involved in establishing a successful solar facility that benefits local citizens.

“Delta County is excited for this project. We’re excited to partner with Alluvial. We’re excited to have this in our backyard. You know, the whole eat local thing spread pretty hard through this valley a number of years ago, and there are a lot of people who live by that. There’s no reason we can’t produce electricity local too […] It’s exciting that we can produce that amount of power right here in Delta County,” said Suppes.

Additional information about Garnet Mesa Solar is available at garnetmesasolar.com.