Mirasol Agrivoltaic is developing a 1 MW community solar installation on 5 acres of active farmland in the North Fork Valley – generating clean energy for local farms and households while keeping land in agricultural production.
Solar energy on
working farmland
North Fork Valley - Hotchkiss, Colorado
Part of a North Fork Valley team, in partnership with Colorado Farm & Food Alliance, that was awarded $200,000 through the 
U.S. Department of Energy Community Power Accelerator Prize (2025)
U.S. Department of Energy Community Power Accelerator Prize (2025)
Photo: Lauren Storer
1MW Solar Capacity
5 acres of working farmland
15-20% Subscriber Savings
~70 Farms powered annually
The land that feeds this valley can also power it.
Colorado farms face rising production costs, water constraints, and increasing climate variability. At the same time, renewable energy development is expanding across rural landscapes — potentially displacing the farmland it surrounds.
Mirasol Agrivoltaic was founded on a different premise: that solar energy and working farms don’t have to compete for the same land.
Agrivoltaics blend farms and community interests.
- • Maintaining land in active agricultural production
- • Generating renewable energy for local stakeholders
- • Directing financial benefits back to farms and rural households
- • Demonstrating a replicable agrivoltaic model for semi-arid regions
Development
For the project to qualify for the federal Investment Tax Credit – Construction must begin by July 4th, 2026 or finish by January 1st 2027.
$200,000 DOE Accelerator Prize — Round 2 of 3
Complete
Preliminary engineering completed
Complete
Construction partner secured — Sunsense Solar
Complete
Interconnection agreement with DMEA
In Progress
Power Purchase Agreement with DMEA
In Progress
Final capital stack & construction start
Next
“I am eager to see this project completed, to benefit my farm and to help provide energy cost savings to other local farms and households. The Community Power prize has been vital in helping to keep this project moving forward.”
Mark Waltermire Owner, Thistle Whistle Farm
Help us close the gap to construction.
Mirasol Agrivoltaic is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Donations support the research, education, and community programming that traditional infrastructure financing doesn’t fund — and help demonstrate that this model works. Total project cost: $2.98 million.
EIN 99-2341870 · Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
