Water & Power - City of Loveland
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Renewable Energy
Loveland Water and Power is working toward providing 100% renewable energy by 2040, as a part of the state of Colorado’s roadmap toward achieving clean energy production state-wide.
Our transition to non-carbon energy by 2030
Our electricity is generated by Platte River Power Authority, known locally as “Platte River” - a not-for-profit utility that generates and delivers safe, reliable, environmentally responsible and financially sustainable energy to the City of Loveland as well as the cities of Fort Collins, Longmont, and Estes Park.
As of November 2023, 33% of Platte River’s 2023 energy generation for Loveland came from non-carbon resources (water, wind, and solar). Platte River is committed to achieving a 100% non-carbon energy mix by 2030, ahead of state goals.
Renewable energy resources for customers
As a utility we provide a variety of resources to customers transitioning to renewable energy:
Foothills Solar Project
During the flood of the Big Thompson River in September 2013, the City of Loveland sustained significant damage to the Idylwilde hydroelectric facility. The Idylwilde Dam suffered damage to the super structure and the reservoir was completely filled in with silt, sediment and cobbles. Approximately 2,000 feet of the penstock pipe that ran adjacent to the Big Thompson River was destroyed. The Power House was flooded which irreparably damaged the electrical equipment within the facility.
On January 15, 2015, at City Council's direction, LWP submitted two project scopes for the fixed sub-grant of $9,068,018 awarded by FEMA from the damage sustained to the Idylwilde Dam and penstock. One project scope was for the construction of a substation, and the second was for the construction of a 3.5 Megawatt (MW) solar facility on the same site. The project scopes were approved by the State and FEMA on March 12, 2015. The solar facility was completed at the end of 2016, and the substation was completed toward the end of 2017.
| Energy Resource | Solar photovoltaic |
| Net Capacity | 3.5 MW - The equivalent of approximately 809 homes |
| Operational Since | December 6, 2016 |
| Number of Solar Panels | 10,332 - panels with a single-axis tracking system |
| Facility Size | 19 acres |
| Location | West 29th St. & Rio Blanco Ave. - West of Mehaffey Park |