Solar in Ouray County

By area, the Colorado Energy Office territory map shows San Miguel Power Association (97%), Delta-Montrose Electric Association (3%). Area isn’t population — towns are often served by a different utility than the surrounding countryside.

The largest by area, San Miguel Power Association, is a electric cooperative that credits exported solar at the time-of-day rate in effect when it leaves your meter.

Ouray County grew about 7.9% between 2020 and 2025 (4,879 → 5,265). It has 2 communities on our map, the largest being Ridgway, Ouray.

The county is fairly uniform in elevation — Ouray near 7,690 feet and the geographic center around 7,340 feet — so conditions are relatively consistent across it.

It’s part of our Western Slope region. The county center is about 185 miles from our Denver office.

Permitting in Ouray County depends on whether you’re inside a town. Towns with their own building departments issue their own permits; unincorporated areas go through the county, and the State Electrical Board handles electrical permits in many smaller jurisdictions.

For a business in Ouray County the first question is the rate class, not the roof: San Miguel Power Association, a electric cooperative, must net-meter commercial systems to 25 kW under state law and sets its own terms above that.

The Western Slope's commercial roofs range from Grand Junction warehouses and dealerships to Palisade packing sheds, Delta and Montrose ag and equipment businesses, and self-storage along US-50 and I-70. Long, hot summers make cooling the dominant daytime load — a good match for solar production. As of September 2026, business owners can still use the federal §48E credit for solar placed in service by the end of 2027, with 100% bonus depreciation restored — details are on our Ouray County commercial page and worth a conversation with your tax advisor.