Bookcliff Community Solar Garden will be a community solar garden (CSG) built on a 22-acre farm employing agrivoltaics; that is, combining agriculture with solar panels above for the generation of clean, renewable energy while maintaining the agricultural activities of the farm intact.

The solar array will be approx. 2.3 MWdc in size & generate enough electricity to serve the annual electrical needs of 4-500 homes. It will feed into Xcel Energy’s grid & while, technically, anyone on the Xcel grid can subscribe to the solar garden, the primary goal of Bookcliff CSG will be to:

Serve the low & moderate income (LMI) families in the local community

The goal is to donate a minimum of 50% of the energy production to the local housing authorities, Energy Outreach Colorado & other Service Subcribers to serve the LMI community, & to sell the balance of the energy at a below market price that will guarantee these subscribers a minimum 30% reduction in their electrical utility bill. This will provide long-term & stable energy pricing for subscribers.

Also, a section of the field below the PV array will be set aside to grow produce for an inexpensive Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) & food donations to local food banks to support their hunger relief programs in the community.

The Project is located in Clifton, CO, an area that historically has had a large portion of its population fall into the low to moderate income (LMI), disproportionately impacted (DI) &/or the Justice 40 category. This is an excellent opportunity to help this underserved community.

Secondary Goals…

• Provide plantings (trees, bushes, wildflowers) for a wildlife corridor, pollinator plantings & beehives for improved pollination of crops in the surrounding farms.

photo thanks to Sun Agri’

• Provide space for areas dedicated to researching the symbiotic relationship between PV arrays & agriculture. Research from many agrivoltaic sites around the world show that combining a photovoltaic (PV) solar array for energy production with agriculture activity underneath the solar panels provides a benefit both to the energy production from the PV array & to the crops being grown. The evapo-transpiration from the plants keep the solar panels cooler thereby increasing their efficiency by 2-3%, & the solar panels can protect the crops from extreme weather events (high winds, hail, etc) & the shading effect from the solar panels keep the soil and plants cooler & less stressed, thereby actually increasing crop yield (by as much as 100% with some crops) & reducing the water usage (irrigation) by 12-15%.
  We will be partnering with Colorado State University to provide a site for further research of the symbiotic relationship between solar arrays & agriculture using locally grown high-value crops (grapes, peaches, apples, vegetables, etc) The Colorado State University’s Western Colorado Research Center will be using our farm as part of a 3 year agrivoltaic research project to determine the impact of solar installation on soil compaction & ongoing soil health, further study the symbiotic relationship between the pv array & crops using the high value crops grown in our area, , & hopefully to help zero in on seeds that are regionally adapted to our area. They will use the data from this research to disseminate to growers in western Colorado (& similar climates) some ideas for best practices for installation of an agrivoltaic project & the crops in our region that grow well.

• Partner with various organizations to provide learning opportunities for future farmers. We will be working with the Community Food Systems Coordinator at the Western Colorado Research Center, as well as the Grand Junction Food Bank to develop the CSA area under the PV array. We hope to partner with Colorado Mesa University to provide a site for practical, “on the farm” experience for students in the agricultural science studies.

• Partner with Grid Alternatives and the workforce development they provide. GRID Alternatives, a 501 (c ) (3), is a national leader in helping economic and environmental justice communities nationwide get clean, affordable renewable energy, transportation, and jobs. Grid offers a variety of ways for those interested in entering the solar workforce to gain skills in various aspects of the solar industry. The training offers a unique opportunity to participate in the installation process from start to finish. Trainees learn while participating in real-world solar installations, getting a full picture of the industry by meeting the clients and communities served