Sun Bear, an enormous solar and battery storage installation in the Four Corners region of Colorado, will have more than two million solar panels spread across 5,500 acres of land belonging to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, part of the Weenuche Band of the Ute Nation. The primary developer is the Canigou Group, which styles itself as a global leader in renewable energy. “We are active throughout Europe, Australia and North America where we work with partners at the local level to provide a holistic solution,” it says on its website. The Sun Bear facility will cost up to $1.5 billion and produce peak power of 975 MW. There is no information currently available about the size of the battery storage system or who will supply the batteries for it.
There are several reasons why the site in southwest Colorado, which borders New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, was chosen for this large scale solar project. Carigou Group says “Sun Bear is well positioned for harnessing the sun with its large unobstructed sky, high annual solar irradiance, and low seasonal variability. The site is located close to a confluence of transmission systems which provide access to customers via both transmission and distribution interconnection.”
All those factors are significant. An unobstructed sky means no shading issues that might reduce the amount of electricity that can be produced. High solar irradiance is a fancy way of saying the area gets a lot of sunlight throughout the year. Low seasonal variability means the output of the Sun Bear solar farm will not vary appreciably with the seasons. Proximity to existing transmission lines for the Western Area Power Administration means the developer will not need to build long and expensive new transmission infrastructure to connect the solar farm to the grid.
According to KSUT News, an NPR affiliate, it is unclear what regional entities Canigou will sell the electricity to. “We’re thinking about the power needs within Colorado,” said Justin Passfield of Carigou Group. “But also, it makes sense not to transmit power too far from where you are. Having said that, we’re going to be producing a large amount of power. So I’m not sure that all of it will be able to be consumed within Colorado.” The Indigenous community will receive a percentage of the revenue generated by solar energy to help fund Ute Mountain Ute programs, develop jobs, and increase educational opportunities.
Sun Bear Benefits The Local Community
Members of the Tribe can also expect to find employment during the construction phase of the Sun Bear solar farm, which will need between 500 and 1000 workers to complete the project. Construction will begin in 2024 and the facility is expected to begin operations in 2026. Ute Mountain Ute chairman Manuel Heart says he is excited about the job opportunities tribal members and the opportunity for the tribe to become a significant player in renewable energy.
“We, as the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, had been a fossil fuel tribe with oil and gas for a long time, probably over 50 years. Today, with the changes in legislation, global warming, and climate change, you can see the impact of what’s happening to our world. So renewable is the new future right now,” said Heart.
Carigou Group contracted with RICK Engineering to help plan the Sun Bear solar installation. Its team created a 3D model for the conceptual design of the solar farm and the surrounding area in Colorado’s Four Corners region, and played a major a role in presenting this model to the local community. That 3D model was used extensively during consultations with Tribal leaders.
