Renewable Energy Programs
Grand Valley Power offers existing members the opportunity to receive solar energy benefits, without all the added worry of 20- year promissory notes, equipment installs or upkeep.
There are a number of differences that seperate GVP's program from traditional solar systems. To start, what is a "traditional solar system"?
Traditional solar systems are installed at your property, many times on your roof. Before you begin installing solar at your home, credit checks often apply. If you qualify for zero down solar, you must then sign a 15-20 year promissory note which will be reported as debt with the credit bureaus. Then at the end of the term, you are left with multiple options; purchase the equipment outright for the remaining balance of the note, sign a new promissory note that extends the payments to cover the remaining balance, or terminate the agreement with the company at which point the equipment will be removed from the property and a new roof may need to be installed, which is additional cost to the homeowner.
Grand Valley Power built, owns and maintains a solar system on our property. Our members do not have to go through a credit check, or require a promissory note. Members also do not have to install panels at their homes, which opens the door for many people who are interested in getting solar, however, normally wouldn't be able to for various reasons like they are renters, don't have the money or don't want to have panels on the roof.
Two options exist for member participation in the Solar Farm;
- Pay in Full
- For a one-time payment of $700, member's can lease the production from the solar panel for a period of 20 years.
2. Zero Down
- Member's can elect to have a $15 per month charge added to their bill for a period of five years while receiving the credit from that panel for a period of 20 years.
Member's will receive the same credit as if the system was built on their property without having to carry the required minimum insurance or perform the necessary maintenance.
The installment term is 5 years and can be terminated at any time by the member with no penalties.
Once the five year installment plan is complete, you will no longer be responsible for any charges while still receiving another 15 years of bill credits. If you move to another location within Grand Valley Power’s service territory and the lease is paid in full, you may choose to have the bill credit transferred to your new location without any fees or you can simply leave them with the original property and use the bill credits as marketing material for selling your house.
You can lease 1 or 41 panels, the choice is yours! If you decided to lease only one panel this year, you can always add additional panels later. Each panel that is leased will provide an average of $4 per month in bill credits. These bill credits are calculated at the same kWh rate that you are charged. Therefore if rates are to go up in the future, the bill credit from these solar panels will rise proportionally.
If you move before the installments are complete, you simply walk away, no penalties or early termination fees, and the panel is re-leased to another Grand Valley Power member.
At this time, Grand Valley Power does not have any available panels for lease. Please call or check back for availability.
Please fill out this application and submit to:
Grand Valley Power
Re: Member Service -Solar Lease Agreement
845 22 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81505
The flexibility to do it your way! Grand Valley Power member's that are interested in owning their own generation resource (hydro, solar, wind) are responsible for the design (10 kW max for residential & 25 kW max for commercial), installation, operation, and maintenance of the system. We assist if needed, and help you submit your On-site Interconnection Agreement.
Net-metering allows a member to offset their electric usage through on-site generation of electricity from such sources as solar, wind, hydro, etc. In essence, net-metering allows a meter to spin forward when the member is a net user of energy or backwards when the member is a net generator of electricity.
At the end of the month, a net-zero home would have spun the meter backwards as much as it was spun forward, essentially metering zero energy usage.
Grand Valley Power will assist in answering questions, will help provide information and direct you to the local installers if needed.
Step 1: Once you have the system designed and are ready to move forward with the project, contact GVP and fill out an interconnection application before you begin installing the system.
- The application is used by GVP to gather information regarding the intent of your project and to verify proper sizing of GVP equipment. Once the application is completed and accepted, installation can begin.
Step 2: During the installation of the equipment, the member is required to provide a copy of their homeowner’s insurance policy and complete the interconnection agreement.
Step 3: Once the system is installed and passes Mesa County Electrical Inspection, a certificate of completion must be returned to GVP before final inspection is scheduled and the system is turned on.
- Grand Valley Power will inspect the member disconnect and if necessary, change out the meter to an appropriate device before allowing the member to connect to the utility grid.
Step 4: Upon final inspection and receiving these forms, the system is turned on and the production of electricity begins.
Grand Valley Power currently has over 200 members who have grid-tie systems.
- Available to residential and commercial members within the Grand Valley Power service territory.
- The system must not exceed 10 kW for residential customers and 25 kW for commercial customers.
- Applications, agreements and completion certificates must be completed in order to procede with on-site generation projects.
- Proper local permits and inspections must be provided and documented to connect to the utility system.
- The meter is read during its normal billing cycle. If the member is a net producer during any month, the member will continue to be billed for the customer access charge and the excess energy will be rolled forward and available to the member the following month.
- Every year in April, the cooperative reviews all net metered accounts. If the member has 4,000 or more banked kilowatt-hours (kWh) at the time of the April billing cycle, the member will receive a check for all excess energy above 1,000 kWh payable at a cost equivalent to the cost of electric energy purchased by Grand Valley Power during the preceding month.
- The inverter and automatic disconnect must be UL 1741 approved.
- An accessible, lockable, and visible AC disconnect must be installed to isolate the utility grid during times of emergency.
Please send back your completed application to:
Grand Valley Power
Re: Engineering - Interconnection Application
845 22 Road
Grand Junction, CO 81505
Please complete our online form - Certificate of Completion
You can find our policy, guidelines and procedure here:
Do you have additional questions about on-site generation? Email us at dg@gvp.org.