Ute Tribe Farm and Ranch Enterprise Generating Electricity with Irrigation

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm and Ranch Enterprise has installed an in-conduit hydropower system that integrates sustainable energy production with advanced center-pivot irrigation technology across its 7,700 acres of irrigated farmland. The installation consists of five similar in-conduit hydropower sites strategically positioned within the gravity-fed center-pivot irrigation system that, together, generate more than 115 kilowatts of clean, renewable energy seasonally. The hydropower system harnesses excess pressure in the water flowing through the irrigation pipes, converting it into electrical power without disrupting the irrigation process. The energy is used to power onsite farming operations.
Related ATTRA publication: Micro-Hydro Power: Is It Right for My Farm?