Depending on what you read – or whom you talk to – national electricity demand is projected to rise between 25% and 80% by 2050. Either way, that’s billions of additional kilowatt-hours needed to power homes, farms, vehicles, artificial intelligence, and the cloud services that store much of our lives. It’s a staggering amount of energy – and the question of where it will come from, and who gets to decide, is pressing closer to home.
In Montezuma County, that question is playing out in real time. County commissioners will hold a public hearing Nov. 18 to consider extending a six-month pause on large-scale solar projects (Journal, Oct. 22). Earlier this year, the Planning and Zoning Commission rejected a proposal by Boulder-based Juwi Inc. to build the 960-acre Canyonland Solar Project near Goodman Point (Journal, June 20). The 140-megawatt project – enough to power roughly 30,000 Colorado homes – sits on predominantly agricultural land.
The May hearing drew about 120 residents. Some said the proposal went above and beyond in its application and would bring meaningful economic benefit. Others said it was “an insult to the land.” Most of the opposition focused on the loss of farmland, property values, and rural character. The board ultimately turned it down, citing zoning conflicts.
Juwi had offered concessions: panels moved farther from homes, new wildlife corridors and fencing, dust mitigation, revegetation with local seed mixes, and agrivoltaics – grazing sheep between panels. The company estimated the project would generate $280,000 in annual property-tax revenue – about $9.8 million over 35 years – with more than half for Montezuma-Cortez High School. Those dollars matter.
As the state reduces property taxes under reforms backed by Gov. Jared Polis, rural budgets for schools, roads, and emergency services are tightening. Well-sited renewable projects could help stabilize revenues while also providing lease income for landowners, short-term construction jobs, and a handful of longer-term operating positions – all without raising taxes or surrendering local control.
Colorado’s energy landscape is shifting. Coal, once the West’s workhorse, is fading – not by decree, but by economics. Power plants in Craig, Pueblo, and Nucla have closed or are closing, and Farmington has already lost its San Juan Generating Station. Utilities have moved on: coal is no longer the cheapest source of power. Even after the Trump administration canceled renewable-energy grants, solar and wind remain the least-cost options for new generation.
Still, rural Colorado has every right to proceed carefully. The Colorado Energy Office’s report under Senate Bill 24-212 recognized that local governments bear the burden of reviewing complex projects without consistent state support. The study urged collaboration – model codes, technical guidance, and wildlife data – not statewide mandates. As The Colorado Sun reported, many local officials fear the state will use the findings to overrule local control (Journal, Oct. 26). That concern is valid. One-size-fits-all rules from Denver won’t work in places like Montezuma County, where landscapes and livelihoods differ from the Front Range and Eastern Plains.
But neither can Colorado meet its future energy demand if each county goes its own way indefinitely. A bipartisan law already offers a path forward. In 2021, state Sen. Chris Hansen, now CEO of La Plata Electric Association, joined Sen. Don Coram and Rep. Marc Catlin in passing SB 21-072, creating the Colorado Electric Transmission Authority and directing utilities to join regional energy markets by 2030. Expanding grid connections across state lines would let Colorado share power rather than generate it all within its own borders – easing land pressures on rural counties and strengthening reliability statewide.
The Nov. 18 hearing is a chance for Montezuma County to find that balance – protecting local values while acknowledging changing energy realities. Progress should mean practical economics, respect for the land, and power – in every sense of the word – remaining in local hands.
