Publish Date: August 17th, 2016

Namaste Solar will begin construction next month on a 1.3 megawatt (MW) ground-mounted solar array in southwestern Colorado for the Southern Ute Indian Tribe.

The Oxford Solar Project will offset roughly 15% of the energy usage at 10 tribally-owned buildings, equivalent to the electricity consumption of roughly 250 typical homes. The Southern Ute Tribe is implementing solar to reduce energy costs and increase tribal energy security, while building capacity as a tribe to develop additional clean energy projects in the future.

The 1.3 MW ground-mounted solar array will be located on a 10-acre parcel of land, known as the Oxford Tract, approximately three miles from the main Southern Ute Indian tribal campus in Ignacio, Colorado.

The Southern Ute Indian Tribe received a $1.5 million grant from the Department of Energy to construct the solar plant, which covers nearly 50% of the total project cost. The grant is being managed by Southern Ute Alternative Energy LLC (SUAE), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, which was founded in 2008 to invest in alternative and renewable energy. SUAE selected Boulder-based Namaste Solar to design, develop and construct the solar array.

“The Oxford Solar Project will help reduce energy costs for the tribe,” said Heath Mackay, Co-Owner and Project Development Manager–Southwest Region for Namaste Solar. We are honored to partner with the Southern Ute Indian Tribe to bring this project to life.”

Construction on the solar facility is due to begin in early September 2016 with expected completion in December.

About Southern Ute Alternative Energy
Southern Ute Alternative Energy (SUAE) is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Ute Indian Tribe Growth Fund – a diversified investment and business management organization owned by the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. SUAE focuses on long-term investments in alternative and clean energy through private equity funds and operating assets.