About Canyonland Solar
August 2025: Updated photos of Dolores Canyon Solar construction courtesy of Mitch Risenhoover. Juwi, Inc. is the project developer of the site.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This project was originally proposed as Coyote Gulch Solar. The developer, Juwi, Inc. is a German-owned corporation with a US office in Boulder, CO. They are proposing a 960 acre solar facility consisting of 300,000 solar panels. The project will likely be sold before completion, possibly more than once or to more than one buyer. There are nearly 4,500 acres under agreement with landowners in the Goodman Point neighborhood of Montezuma County in southwest Colorado, 10 miles northwest of Cortez. Not all of those are willing participants. The landowner agreements give the company the ability to expand "as needed" on agricultural/residential zoned land.
YOU NEED TO KNOW THESE FACTS:
NO guaranteed energy benefit for the County
NO guaranteed reduction to your energy bill
NO long-term permanent job creation
*****************************************
YES Interrupted wildlife corridors and migratory flyways
YES Drainage/Runoff issues
YES High Risk wildfire potential
YES Solar panels, inverters, racking equipment, substations, access roads, underground and overhead electrical transmission and communication lines, metering, measurement devices and other equipment and facilities for the operation of a solar project.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Say NO to Canyonland Solar
Farms Grow Food Not Solar
We believe the concerns stated on this website remain relative and our opposition to a proposed utility scale solar facility is still appropriate. See Another Solar Viewpoint* below.
```````````````````````````````````````````
Powering X NUMBER OF HOMES in the thousands sounds like a desirable goal, but those homes cannot be guaranteed to be in Montezuma County. Whoever holds the power purchase agreement (PPA) will add the power to their inventory. If that is not Tri-State, it could be a company that serves another area holding the agreement.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ELECTRICITY RATES Solar developers, associations, and lobbyists tell you your electric bill will go down. Consider what's coming to Montezuma County in February 2026. A notice on the October Empire Electric (EEA) bill alerted us to a price increase by Tri-State Power Generation and Transmission Association, their main power supplier. Some of that increase will be passed to consumers (us) effective February 2026. In the November issue of Colorado Country Life, EEA's monthly magazine, there are four reasons given for the coming increase. One of those is "ownership costs related to new solar generators coming online in 2025". Now look deeper than that bill you see in your hand. Remember that Tri-State purchased the Dolores Canyon Solar project in Dolores County and the Axial Basin solar project in Moffett County through government funding this year. You might want to examine the obligations Tri-State took on with those purchases and you will obtain a better understanding of your increased electricity costs. There is no immediate evidence your electricity bill is going down as often claimed.
`````````````````````````````````````````````
LONG-TERM JOBS are few since a completed project is usually remotely monitored. Keep this in mind about all those local jobs offered up as an incentive to build a utility scale solar facility. It is not uncommon for most developers to have their own construction companies and favored subcontractors that move with their projects. That is the case with Juwi and JSI Construction Group LLC.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here's More on TAX REVENUE. In Montezuma County, a commercial solar project could be constructed on agricultural zoned land through a High Impact Permit (HIP) and a Special Use Permit (SUP). Taxation on that facility would, by state legislation, break down this way: the land would be taxed at the ag rate. The product produced (power) would be taxed at the commercial rate. In this sense, the county stands to lose money when you realize the difference in the taxation rate on ag land vs. commercial land.
About those millions in tax revenue:
Another Solar Viewpoint*
1. The millions that seem like a godsend to the community are not an annual amount. 2. The millions are spread over the project's life-time, estimated at 35 years. 3. The quoted figures are a generous estimate based on a formula. No one really knows how those taxes will be calculated in the future. 4. Do the math. The first estimate was $8.4M at neighborhood meetings. By the time the project was presented to the P & Z board, that figure was inflated to $9.8M. Monthly total income for the county from this project, based on those figures, comes to $20,000./mo or $23,300/mo. respectively, to be divided further among the various county tax-supported entities. 5. Ask yourself, is it really worth using a thousand acres of productive agricultural zoned land for the relative pittance added to the monthly county budget which has lately been more than $3Million/mo?
`````````````````````````````````
Perspective: The area inside the yellow rectangle is 954.63 acres. Canyonland Solar at 960 acres would cover downtown Cortez and much more over an area bordered by Empire Street, Sligo Street, 7th Street, and a line along North and South Broadway.
May 15, 2025: The Planning and Zoning Commissioners voted unanimously to deny the Canyonland Solar Project.
June 16, 2025: Juwi has not made a direct appeal to the BOCC within the 30 day period specified by the county Land Use Code.
July 24, 2025: Planning and Zoning Public Hearing 6:00 p.m. 109 W. Main, Room 250 for public input on alternate energy sources including solar "farms" regarding revisions to the county land use code.
October 15, 2025: County moratorium on new solar/renewable energy projects ends.
November 18, 2025: Public Hearing before the Board of County Commissioners for review and consideration of either adopting new Land Use Code revisions or to issue another moratorium. The County Commissioners added Section 10 to the Land Use Code. See Resolution 29-2025
Notices
No, Martha, it's not "just dryland".
It is a common misconception that dryland here in southwestern Colorado means wasteland. A person must see the production within the Goodman Point area to understand our Farms grow food and fiber, and livestock, NOT solar. Wheat and sorghum was produced in 2024. Wheat was produced in 2025. Wheat is highly desired by our local mill.....
From the recreational map above, found on the Montezuma county website: high levels of water could flow from the Canyonland Solar Project FKA the Coyote Gulch Solar Project through Alkali Canyon, Trail Canyon, Goodman Canyon, and Yellow Jacket Canyon into McElmo Canyon and then into the San Juan River. That scope is extensive!
A utility-scale solar facility of this scope is by logic, inefficient vs. the land consumed.
``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
The following map shows water drainage routes within the area of proposed construction of the Canyonland Solar Facility. All routes can be followed clearly online on the recreation map at MontezumaCounty.org
NOTE THE PROXIMITY TO CANYONS OF THE ANCIENTS NATIONAL MONUMENT. BLM DECLARED CANM OFF LIMITS TO SOLAR DEVELOPMENT IN AN 11 STATE AREA EIS RELEASED DECEMBER 2024
Information
Construction is proposed on a rectangle of land bordered by Road P to north of Road T, and Road 16 to Road 18. Parcels under agreement are indicated by parallel lines plus yellow and blue markers. *3033 acres are under agreement with developer Juwi, Inc. shown in blue. (*figure is derived from developer’s documentation). ^1,454 acres were under agreement with EDF Renewables shown in yellow. (^figure is derived from county public records). Juwi has purchased those agreements from EDF Renewables.
Area Location
These are just a few questions which should be answered BEFORE any approvals are given:
1) Who monitors drainage from the proposed Canyonland Solar Facility, FKA Coyote Gulch Solar Facility, into Yellow Jacket Canyon? Goodman Canyon? Trail Canyon? Alkali Canyon?
2) Will there be tests to determine what toxic runoff is generated by the projected Canyonland Solar Facility?
3) Can drainage from the Canyonland Solar Facility enter irrigation canals? In a 25 year rainfall? In a 100 year rainfall? Or with 3” rainfall in 1 hour?
Take note of this statement: “Storm water control and site drainage (must have) no adverse impacts on any county road, state highway, or adjacent land use” from our own Land Use Code 1201.2 [14]. Then follow the tributaries found on the proposed Canyonland Solar Project, FKA Coyote Gulch Solar Project, and recognize the adverse impacts contained therein. This also applies to the wetlands found along the tributaries.
Drainage/Runoff
We understand individual property rights. Those rights work both ways for the protection of the neighbors too, per the Montezuma County Land Use Code and legal descriptions. Consider the collective agreements with Juwi, Inc. and how the contiguous properites will look with a utility-scale solar facility in place. Scraping the land, building retention ponds, glass, metal, rare earth elements, and more will affect the neighboring properties and the whole county through light pollution/glare, runoff, interference with wildlife, fire hazards, toxicity and more. Surely, the neighboring landowners and county residents should have a say in the way they are affected by a UTILITY FACILITY of this scope.
Chapter 3, Zoning, Montezuma County Land Use Code 3101.2 Objectives. Based on the recommendations of the Montezuma County Comprehensive Land Use Plan, the zoning system is designed to achieve the following objectives:
A. Landowner choice and responsibility. Landowners will have the opportunity to make informed choices about the future of their land, while having the responsibility to abide by the standards of this Code, in order to mitigate any significant adverse impacts on other landowners and the County.
Property Rights
We educate the community on the ecological and social impacts of large-scale solar projects, empowering residents to decide.
Our Educational Goal
Early morning March 16, 2023 at Alkali Creek and Road P.
A tributary at Road S and Road 17 seldom sees water flow, but it happened in August 2022, after more than an *inch of rainfall over several days. (*figure is taken from private records maintained by a resident living two miles from the event location).
Showing partial road damage from the August 2022 flooding on Road 17.
Water is seen at the top of Trail Canyon, March 16, 2023 10:05 a.m.
Snow Melt
March 2023
Drainage Complications
This photo, taken the evening before Alkali Creek washed out Road P, shows a huge amount of moving water flowing south from the culvert on March 15, 2023 at 5:32 p.m.
Flooding on Road 17, south of Road S
in August 2022.
Many neighbors in the Goodman Point area could potentially see this view in their future.
Imagine the area beyond the trees on both sides of the road during construction and subsequently filled with solar panels/modules.
View Shed/Property Values
From a concerned Montezuma County resident who found: The Energy Company stated: “It is a common misconception that ground mounted solar farms decrease nearby property values.” That statement came word for word from an SEIA.org website regarding studies on solar and property value. SEIA stands for Solar Energy Industries Association. Certainly not an unbiased third party".
Many unbiased sources indicate property values are reduced by 5-25% when in the proximity of a utility-scale solar facility. The most important questions which answer the property value concern: Would you like to live next door, or even in the neighborhood of a utility-scale solar facility? Would you pay money to move into a house across the street from a utility-scale solar facility, or to be surrounded by one?
Protect Our Future!
Address
Cortez, CO, 81321
Contact
sayno2solarfarms@gmail.com
Menu
Follow us