Johnstown Solar Farm Powers DU, Brings Long-Term Revenue to Weld County
Colorado's first completed off-site "virtual net metering" solar project—a 3.28-megawatt array—began operating this month in Johnstown, sending clean power to University of Denver facilities roughly 50 miles south while generating decades of lease payments and property tax revenue for Weld County.
The 7,000-panel array is the first completed under Senate Bill 21-261, 2021 legislation that expanded off-site solar access for institutions with multiple facilities or limited rooftop space. Virtual net metering lets the array generate electricity credits that offset DU's campus power bills even though the facility sits in rural Weld County.
The Johnstown site produces enough electricity to power about 760 homes and will include sheep grazing alongside solar operations. Five more projects totaling more than 27 megawatts are planned across Adams, Mesa, and Weld counties by 2027.
"This is an exciting first step as we work towards achieving carbon neutrality at the University of Denver," said Chancellor Jeremy Haefner. "Our partnership with Pivot Energy has allowed us to expand the number of rooftop solar installations we have on campus as well as develop the off-site net metering projects across Colorado. This is our commitment to building a better world and a better future for our students."
The project provides landowners with 30 to 40 years of lease payments and generates property tax revenue for Weld County.
"Completing this solar project signals to institutions, corporations, and organizations across Colorado that access to cost-savings and emission-reducing renewable energy is easier by locating solar projects off-site and receiving the benefits virtually," said Mat Elmore, Senior Vice President of Strategic Accounts for Pivot Energy. "This milestone between Pivot Energy and the University of Denver demonstrates what's possible when innovative policy meets local leadership."
Weld County is among the first rural areas in Colorado where this model is being deployed on the ground. The statute creates a framework allowing renewable energy developers to site infrastructure in rural areas while directing economic benefits—lease payments and property taxes—to local communities.
Pivot Energy views the Johnstown completion as demonstrating that virtual net metering projects can strengthen local economies and provide reliable power as operations continue in Weld County over the coming decades.