Australian investor completes 5MW solar project to help power Aspen ski resort

Primergy Solar, a company owned by Australian investment firm Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners, has completed construction of a 5MW solar project that will help power the famous ski town of Aspen in Colorado.

The 5MW Pitkin Solar Project which will supply electricity to local energy co-op Holy Cross Energy, which services 45,000 members in Western Colorado, including the City of Aspen.

“The completion of the Pitkin Solar Project is an important step on our journey to 100% clean energy for our members,” said Bryan Hannegan, the president and CEO of Holy Cross Energy.

Located on 35-acres in Pitkin County, Colorado, near Woody Creek in the Roaring Fork Valley, the Pitkin Solar Project consists of 13,700 solar panels installed on land leased from the Aspen Consolidated Sanitation District.

It’s located under a flight path near the Aspen Airport and next to a popular pedestrian trail and residential neighbourhood. Bifacial solar panels and tracking systems were combined with anti-glare technology to cut down on reflected light for both planes flying overhead as well as for the local community.

“Based on the positive feedback received since construction was completed, Pitkin Solar is now a solid example of how new infrastructure can be delivered sustainability to benefit local communities in environmentally sensitive locations,” said David Scaysbrook, the Australian based co-founder of Quinbrook.

Quinbrook currently represents value worth $US28.7 billion, or around 19.5GW of power supply capacity, managing across the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia. The company has offices in Houston, London, Jersey, and the Gold Coast of Australia, where co-founder Scaysbrook is located.

Just last month, Quinbrook completed the acquisition of a 350MW solar and battery storage project in the United Kingdom which, upon completion, is expected to be the largest single site solar PV installation in the country.