Solar+storage project near Brush part of hyper-localization strategy of Colorado’s largest electrical cooperative
by Allen Best
Another piece of United Power’s “hyper-localized” energy strategy will be coming into place during the next two years.
The Brighton-based electrical cooperative has announced an agreement that will yield power from 200 megawatts of solar combined with 150 megawatts (and 600 megawatt-hours) of battery storage in the sand hills southeast of Brush.
The project, called Fortress, has been scheduled to start delivering electricity to United’s members in 2027 under a long-term power purchase agreement. The project will be developed and owned by Aypa Power.
Of note: this project is located proximate to the Colorado Power Pathway, the 550-mile transmission line being built around the eastern plains of Colorado.
United Power, an electrical cooperative, has 116,000 members along the rapidly industrializing Interstate 76 corridor northeast of Denver as well as in other parts of Weld County and in the foothills west of Arvada. It is the largest electrical cooperative as measured by demand.
United Power has a service territory sandwiched by I-25 and I-76 north and east of Denver as well as a section of the foothills west of Arvada. The offices of the cooperative are sindicated by starts. Top map: the site of the new solar-plus-storage project southeast of Brush that will come on line in 2027.
Even before leaving Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association in May 2024, United Power had set out to aggressively develop its own resources. It quickly put in place eight battery storage units within its service territory to complement new utility-scale solar installations. It has among the highest penetration of rooftop solar in Colorado.
And a new gas plant is part of what Mark Gabriel, the president and chief executive, sees as crucial for maintaining reliability. The 162-megawatt plant northwest of Keenesburg was formally commissioned in August.
This latest project varies slightly from the playbook assembled by Gabriel as part of his hyper-localization strategy. It lies about 50 miles outside United’s service territory.
“United Power continues on a path to diversify and localize the power we purchase and deliver to our members,” said Gabriel. “We are investing in local projects that create a more robust generation system, which, in turn, will help us stabilize electric costs while investing in area economics.”
Launched in 2018, Aypa Power has over 22 gigawatts of utility-scale energy storage and hybrid renewable energy projects in development and 33 projects in operation or construction across North America.
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It seems that many CO solar and wind developers are not entering their planned projects in the federal EIA list of planned projects. According to fortress-solar.com, the total project was approved in Mar 2024 by Morgan County. But it does not appear in latest versions of EIA Table 6_05, Planned Generating Unit Additions, which includes both in-construction, and fairly speculative projects and CO doesn’t look like we have much “planned.” (The list has a field for permitting status.)
According to the project website, this 200 MW for United is the first of three similar phases, so 600 MW total if they get transmission and off-takers. Good job everyone!
Not exactly “hyper” local but I there may not be any sites for 2-3 sq miles of contiguous solar in United’s service territory. Fine with me.
Hopefully, there is no change of heart in Morgan County or annoying federal interference.