A 125-megawatt solar energy project and battery storage facility is proposed east of Cortez along U.S. Highway 160, with the developer preparing to seek Montezuma County government approval this fall.
Accelergen Energy LLC, an Austin-based startup who is developing the project, will submit a special-use permit application to Montezuma County officials sometime within the week, said Matt Ryan, development director, during an interview Monday.
The application will be reviewed before the county’s Planning and Zoning Commission Oct. 8, according to Emily King Kinsey, a project representative, and eventually, reach the Board of County Commissioners to decide on issuing the permit, likely in November.
The proposal is for 125-megawatts solar energy generation facility alongside a battery storage component capable of storing 62.5 megawatts. Ryan said the battery storage infrastructure would occupy between 4 to 8 acres, while the solar panels are designed to cover roughly 900 acres.
The project, named the Valley Range Energy Park, would mainly lease private land and some state-owned property, in total situating just south of Montezuma County Fairgrounds in an unincorporated part of the county. It would locate between Highway U.S. 160 and County Road H, about three miles north of Mesa Verde National Park.
Accelergen’s solar project boasts contribution to the local economy, one facing deficits due to inflation and a once-prospering oil and gas industry that’s declining annually. A financial forecast from Accelergen estimates Valley Range could pay roughly $13.9 million in local property taxes over its 35-year lifespan, with an annual average of an estimated $398,000.
Other economic benefits, Accelergen developers explain, include creating 95 new jobs in the county and generating $7.8 million in direct and indirect spending locally – both occurring during its anticipated 2027-28 construction phase.
In all, Accelergen has leased approximately 2,100 acres for the project. The lease includes land that may not be developed on. Ryan said the remaining acres account for setbacks, wildlife migration corridors, conservation areas and land leased from the Colorado State Land Board for ecological protection.
Solar or renewable energy is a divisive topic anywhere.
However, in Montezuma County, the most recent controversy occurred last year after a six-month moratorium on new solar development, which was meant to provide county officials time to research and draft new land-use policies around renewable energy.
When the moratorium ended November 2025, new codes were adopted that favored projects including agriculture, limited visual impacts on scenery and neighbors, and required proper decommissioning of panels. Those 29 members of the public in attendance commented and seemed split between supporting another moratorium or the new regulations.
The developers have heard concerns about visibility from neighbors, which King Kinsey said is why more land was set aside for conservation and to mitigate some visibility aspects.
Large-battery storage facilities have also prompted safety concerns nationally after fires at older facilities occurred with more-dated technology, including Moss Landing in California.
Ryan said Valley Range would use a different chemistry for the batteries (lithium-iron-phosphate batteries rather than cobalt-based chemistry) and the system would require 24-hour monitoring for battery behavior management and automatic safety shutdown features.
During earlier stages of development, the company sought out land agreements, conducted desktop and field studies for cultural, environmental and engineering impacts and ran an analysis on whether the location was feasible.
Seeking community engagement is a massively crucial component, Ryan emphasized, , to discuss plans with landowners, county, state or federal agencies while continually refining designs.
“We want people to understand that we're not here to push things through a permit and throw a bunch of panels out in the field. It's really about making sure people understand their feedback matters,” Ryan said.
Along with nearby residents, King Kinsey said Accelergen consults frequently with several agencies, such as Cortez Fire Department regarding emergency-action response plans, Colorado Parks and Wildlife for wildlife migration corridors and the Colorado State University Extension Offices and Dolores-based Southwest Seed corporation on a land regeneration project.
Accelergen is a smaller firm of eight employees founded by Josh Skogen and Thomas Houle. Before launching the startup, the founders established a company named sPower. They successfully grew sPower to the point where it was merged with AES, one of the nation's largest renewable energy developers.
At a later stage, Ryan said Accelergen plans to negotiate contracts with local utilities or regional transmission operators and place larger deposits, sometimes north of $10 million, on equipment.
“We're in late-stage conversations with local utilities but it's important for us to have permit approval before contracting with utilities or putting those large deposits down,” he said.
He added Accelergen is not affiliated with a data-center developer, addressing speculation he said the company has encountered during its outreach process.
awatson@the-journal.com
