Bridger Bowl Ski Area
Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Bozeman's beloved local ski resort, installs a 50 kW solar array near the mid-mountain lodge.
Nonprofit

Client Name:
Bridger Bowl Ski Area
Location:
Bozeman, MT
Date Installed:
October 23, 2019
Warranty:
25 Year Power Output Warranty, 20 Year Manufacturer's Warranty
Production:
68,515 kWh
Inverter:
Fronius Symo 12 kW Three Phase Inverter (x4)
Mount:
MT Solar 40 Top (x4)
Panels:
REC 320 Watt Twin Peak 2 Mono Series Modules (x 160)
Power:
50 kW
Client Profile
Bridger Bowl Ski Area was established in the 1950s as a 501(c)(4) non-profit that operates on a combination of private land and a special use permit agreement with the Custer Gallatin National Forest. The local community of stakeholder's love of the ski area and stewardship of the private and public land has long instilled a deep commitment to sustainability and environmental best practices in Bridger Bowl's mission. Bridger Bowl had contacted OnSite Energy about the potential for incorporating solar energy on the mountain back in 2007, but at that point the cost of solar was still prohibitively high. However, over the past decade the cost to install solar has dropped more that 70%, and by the time that Bridger Bowl reconnected with OSE on the topic in 2019 it was finally in realm of possibilities.
Case Study
As a non-profit Bridger Bowl was eligible to apply and receive funding through the NorthWestern Energy Efficiency Plus (E+) Renewable Energy Program. The program is established with Universal System Benefits Program funds collected from all NorthWestern Energy customers in Montana.