The new array was completed during the summer and is located in northeast Denver, at the utility's 56th Avenue Pump Station. That's near the intersection of 56th Avenue and Quebec Street, just south of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildfire Refuge.
It's the first of at least five arrays Denver Water plans to install at satellite facilities across its metro Denver service area.
This first array at the 56th Avenue Pump Station consists of 910 panels in seven rows, each row stretching about the length of a football field. The system can generate 0.5 megawatts of electricity, which helps offset the significant power demands of the pump station. For comparison, the system is expected to produce enough electricity to juice about 100 homes for a year.
The station is a critical piece of Denver Water infrastructure, as it's located at the lowest point in the distribution system and helps move water around the service area, which is uphill in every direction.
“We're positioning these arrays at sites that account for some of our heaviest energy use,” said Kate Taft, Denver Water's sustainability director. "This station at 56th Avenue is at a lower spot in our service area and pushes a lot of water uphill. It takes a lot of energy to run it, and now we'll be able to offset a significant portion of that demand with clean electricity we generate on-site."
Warer pymped from the 56th Avenue station winds up at Denver International Airport to the east, as well as water storage locations that serve other parts of the region to the west and south, such as Moffat and Hillcrest storage sites.
Large arrays are slated to be erected at four additional sites over the next year: Denver Water's Belleview Pump Station near West Belleview Avenue and South Simms Street in Littleton; Kendrick Pump Station near West Jewell Avenue and South Garrison Street in Lakewood; Lone Tree Pump Station near Yosemite and C-470 in Lone Tree; and at the utility's Recycling Plant near York Street and the South Platte River.
“These sites account for nearly one-quarter of our carbon emissions, so powering these big energy users with solar will mark an important move toward our net zero goal,” said Adam Hutchinson, Denver Water's energy management specialist. “Hitting net zero by 2030 is an ambitious goal, but we are making progress.”
When completed by late 2027, the five new arrays are projected to generate more than 6 megawatts of electricity and consistently offset much of the energy needed to run the pump stations and Recycling Plant.
PHOTO: Denver Water's Sustainability Director Kate Taft with Denver Water Commissioner Dominique Gómez talk under the shade of new solar panels at the 56th Avenue Pump Station. Photo credit: Denver Water.
