Partnerships

Innovation Allows More Households to Go Solar

Colorado’s Community Solar Gardens Act paved the way for the installation of a 500 kW array of solar panels called the Boulder Cowdery Meadows Solar Array. REC Solar, who designed and installed the array, announced the completion of the community solar project in Boulder, Colorado earlier this month.

Xcel Energy, the power provider in the Boulder area has embraced Colorado’s efforts to promote solar power with their Solar*Rewards Community Program. This is the first community solar project completed under the program, which allows Xcel Energy’s customers to purchase electricity directly from “solar gardens” such as the Boulder Cowdery Meadows Solar Array.

“This innovative model expands solar access to all Xcel Energy customers who are interested in the carbon-reducing and cost-savings benefits of solar, regardless of location or income,” said Andy Noel, of REC Solar. Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards Community program extends the cost-savings benefits of renewable energy to many groups who previously could not go solar, including renters, those with shaded properties, and residents without the financial means to purchase or finance a solar array.