Montana Ski Area Adds Solar Power

A Montana ski area has invested in a new solar array which it believes will generate about 70% of the energy required to run one of its main chairlifts.

The 50-kilowatt solar coming onstream this fall will power the Anaconda chairlift which carries skiers up to the top of 8,150-foot tall Rumsey Mountain.

Local media reports that Discovery’s President Ciche Pitcher has been considering adding solar power to the southwest Montana resort for around five years ago as he sought to cut the centre’s CO2 emissions and fast growing power bills.

The panels were purchased several years ago with some financial support from public funding, but then the original installer decided fitting about half-an-acre of panels at the top of a mountain had certain complexities and pulled out.  However a second installer took on and completed the job.

The solar array is expected to generate 76,000 kilowatt hours and resulting in an annual savings of $11,000 which is likely to increase in time. Next summer, when long sunny days return, the array will bank electrical credits for the resort that will substantially offset power demand when the lift is fully loaded with skiers in the winter.