Board Meeting held on February 19, 2026

5-Year Data on MPE's Local Solar Generation

Two area arrays have produced near to what was forecasted

Five years into MPE’s two solar arrays show they are producing at or within 4% of what was forecasted.

Both Whiskey Hill Solar near Walden and Tom Sifers Solar near Fraser are 1 MW arrays and went online in 2020. The Walden array was projected to start generating 2,500 MWh per year, while the Fraser array was estimated to begin at 2,250 MWh annually. In Colorado, this amount of solar production can often serve approximately 200-250 homes for each solar installation.

Although the Fraser array came in at 1,978 MWh in 2020, 12% less than anticipated, it jumped up to 2,249 MWh for 2021 then exceeded expected production from 2022 to 2024. In 2025, production dropped to 2,130 MWh, which was 3% below the forecasted 2,197 MWh. 

The Walden array started strong in 2020 with 2,409 MWh produced. After a dip in 2021 to 2,253 MWh, it recovered from 2022-2024, averaging 2,378 MWh annually. A drop in production in 2025 to 2,156 MWh may be due in part to increased cloud cover, according to Weather Spark, which showed Walden experienced far more time spent in 2025 in the 60%-100% cloud-cover range than historical norms.

Other Board Meeting Items

  • At the onset of the meeting, CEO Virginia Harman introduced a new member of the leadership team, Chief Risk and Strategy Officer Wade Pynes. He brings extensive financial and legal strategy experience in the cooperative sector to MPE. 
  • Harman also shared “some of the best news we have received so far on New ERA,” announcing that the first two USDA New ERA agreements have been  finalized, meaning the funding process is moving forward. These agreements fall within the same category for which MPE was named as an awardee.
  • In the Operations report to the board, Adam Paulson shared the following updates: 
    • Crews are expected to begin replacing power poles that have reached their end of life in the North Park area. Residents may notice MPE or Ulteig trucks and personnel operating within MPE rights-of-way.
    • MPE has been informed by Conexon Connect that the company will not be building fiber to the premises in 2026. Conexon cited several reasons, including ongoing efforts to obtain U.S. Forest Service permits. The company anticipates returning to the project build-out in 2027.
    • Operations has been planning fire protection settings for the upcoming summer season. During periods of elevated fire risk, MPE adjusts system protection settings to reduce the likelihood of ignition. One such setting, known as “one-shot,” causes a power line to shut off immediately if it detects contact from an object such as a tree limb. In increasingly dry and severe conditions, these protective measures may result in more frequent outages; however, they are essential to reducing wildfire risk and keeping members safe.
  • The Board approved 2026 funding to Colorado’s Affordable Residential Energy (CARE) Program in the amount of $40,000 from the Unclaimed Capital Credits Fund. In 2025, a total of $36,277 allowed CARE to complete 12 local homes. MPE’s investment leveraged a total of almost $130,000 in funding to provide the income-qualified households with a home energy audit and free installation of identified needed upgrades, such as insulation,  efficient appliances, air sealing, and qualifying furnaces and water heaters. 
  • The Board approved candidates for the 2026 Election Supervisory Committee: members John Weninger, William Tomasek, and Chris Lee, with alternates Jean-Claude Cavalera and Marvin Dewey.

View the February 2026 Board Meeting Bulletin PDF

Archive of Board Meeting Bulletins