The Roaring Fork Transportation Authority bought into a solar array last year, but the forecast doesn’t look so bright.
RFTA invested about $1.7 million in solar technology to power the up-valley bus barn and new bus stations from Aspen to El Jebel. In the first year, the total cost of the solar energy was about $30,000 more than the agency predicted.
CEO Dan Blankenship says there are a variety of factors, including technology troubles and a cloudier winter, that contributed to the extra costs.
The solar array generated about 750,000 kilowatt hours of electricity.