GRAND COUNTY ENERGY STUDY -
AS CONDUCTED BY THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES
By Andy Miller

Two groups of engineering students at the Colorado School of Mines recently examined methods Grand County residents might use to tap into energy sources based more on local resources and less on far-flung coal-fired power plants. The groups based much of their work on recognition of Mountain Park’s Electric conclusion we will be facing a shortfall of power generation in our region of 10% in ten years.

To meet this shortfall, Tri-State - the company supplying power to our consumer-owned utility, plans on building yet another coal fired plant located (perhaps) near the Kansas border. Greenhouse gases will be dumped at nearly twice the amount needed to get power to our valley - because of 50% line losses between here and the Sunflower State.

The CSM teams looked at locally based power and heat generation from four possible sources, photovoltaic, geothermal heat, hydro-electric and wind. Wind resources have not been adequately studied, but hold great promise in our often blustery environment. Geothermal may be viable in certain parts of the county (Hot Sulphur Springs?), limitations due to cold ground temperatures should be recognized. Hydro-electric is worth more examination (notice all the nifty pipes full of water running up and down hillsides in the county courtesy of the Denver Water Board). Questions surrounding these energy sources were given some study by the students.

The two groups agreed the county’s abundant sunshine is the most reliable power source. They noted one of our largest communities, Granby, was built on a south-facing hillside.

The groups examined tax rebate and other financial incentive programs. Payback periods are still lengthy, but graphs as presented show increases in power costs are rapidly shrinking this time line. The students also found a system which leads to a cost savings of $1,000 annually in utility expenditures adds $20,000 in value to the home upon re-sale. This increase is pretty close to the cost of the grid-tied system.

The studies are available for review by contacting Andy Miller at lonesome-hut@lonesome-hut.com or 970-726-4099. To download the Grand County Energy Study Report, CLICK HERE. To download the Grand County Energy Study - Graphs and Price Comparisons, CLICK HERE. You can also download reports on individual methods, such as GEOTHERMAL SYSTEMS, PHOTOVOLTAIC SYSTEMS, SOLAR HEATING SYSTEMS, and PUBLIC SUPPORT.

Energy alternatives are being presented through meetings scheduled by the Energy Opportunities in Grand County group. Visit the Energy Opportunities in Grand County FACEBOOK page for more information. Check our ECO-NEWS BLOG for up-to-date information on environmental happenings in our community.