The Project
Canyonland Solar will provide reliable, locally-produced electricity from Montezuma County’s abundant sunlight, assisting with regional economic growth and energy resilience.
Project Features
- 140MW (megawatts)
- Will produce the equivalent electricity needs of roughly 30,000 average Colorado households
- Energy will be a part of the Tri-State Generation & Transmission grid, which serves local co-op Empire Electric, among others in southwestern Colorado
Good for Montezuma County
Canyonland Solar will benefit Montezuma County’s economy and residents both in the near and long term.
Project Benefits
- In a time when petroleum revenues have been sinking for years – and with that, funding decreases for area agencies – the Project will increase the county’s property tax base by nearly $282,000 annually for 35 years, totaling $9.8 million in aggregate over the project life
- 57% of that revenue will go to local schools, with the remainder funding critical emergency services and county government operations, among other local services
- Local construction labor needs to build the Project will bring work opportunities over the year and a half-to-two year construction time
- Sales tax generation on everything from food to gas to hotels to lumber and much more will bring an important injection of revenue for the City of Cortez
Local Values
JUWI has worked closely with Project-area neighbors to bring their concerns to the forefront of our planning. We recognize the very local effects of this Project and strive to bring calibrated changes to both our design and our overall proposal.
Commitment to Community
- Have held three community meetings with neighbors of the Project to understand their concerns and help guide our development approach
- Crafting a benefits package that assists the Lewis-Arriola Community as well as Montezuma County as a whole
- Working directly with Colorado Parks & Wildlife to create a design that takes into consideration big game habitats
- Anticipating the use of “agrivoltaics” post-construction by grazing sheep to maintain vegetation
About Us
JUWI Inc. (pronounced like “U-V”) has been building solar energy facilities across America for 17 years, with a special focus on our home state of Colorado. We currently have three projects under construction in the Centennial State:
- Dolores Canyon Solar in nearby Dolores County (110MW)
- Spanish Peaks Solar in Las Animas County (140MW)
- Axial Basin Solar in Moffat County (145MW)
Canyonland Solar is located on roughly 960 acres of private, non-irrigated land northwest of Cortez around the area of County Roads S & 17. The project will employ sun-tracking racks that follow the sunlight over the course of the day to optimize generation.
JUWI has conducted numerous third-party professional site studies – environmental, biological, watershed, archaeological, surveying, geotechnical and more – to design a project that takes a holistic view. Should the project garner approval from the Board of County Commissioners, it is anticipated that construction would begin in the latter part of 2025.
