| Chaffee County’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Strategy | 17 |
| Renewable Energy Resources |
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Chaffee County’s renewable energy resources were identified through the development of thematic maps using existing solar, wind, geothermal and biomass data from the the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden. The Chaffee County EnergyNow Geographic Information System (GIS) is comprised of 35 background information layers and 13 renewable energy layers depicting the county’s energy potential and inventory. Four of the 13 renewable energy mapping layers represent potential energy sources: solar, wind, geothermal and biomass. |
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Large Hydropower in the Upper Arkansas Valley Water is diverted from the West Slope’s Fryingpan River Basin. A series of interconnected tunnels and small diversion dams, all at elevations above 10,000 feet (3,000 m), collect snowmelt and run it, via gravity, to the Charles H. Boustead Tunnel. The Boustead runs water underneath the Continental Divide 5.5 miles (9 km) before discharging it into Turquoise Reservoir just west of Leadville. Water then leaves Turquoise Reservoir via the Mt. Elbert Conduit, which runs nearly 11 miles (18 km) to the Mt. Elbert Forebay. Water is stored in the Forebay to build up “head” or energy before being dropped down over half a mile (1 km) in elevation to the Mt. Elbert Power Plant. |
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