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LOUISVILLE, COLO. (January 30, 2015) – Two community shared solar facilities that went online in Jefferson County west of Denver last summer are now serving more than just local residents and businesses. Louisville-based Clean Energy Collective (CEC), the nation’s leading community solar developer, announced that the City of Lakewood has made a significant purchase—274 kW, or 1,168 panels—in the Jefferson County (Jeffco) Community Solar Arrays to help the City meet its sustainability initiatives.
Facing dual objectives of continually searching for greener ways to operate City government while saving taxpayer dollars, Lakewood found CEC’s community solar solution allowed the City to incorporate renewables while decreasing operating costs and protecting against rising energy expenses for the next 20 years. “Sustainable practices are important to the City of Lakewood, and CEC’s community solar program was a simple and straightforward way for us to begin to achieve our goals,” said Travis Parker, Lakewood’s director of planning.
The renewable energy produced by Lakewood’s solar panels, more than 455,000 kWhs per year, will offset the power requirements for several city operations, including golf cart charging stations, golf course irrigation pumps as well as baseball field lights — the equivalent power usage of nearly 100 residential homes. The solution also proved advantageous for Lakewood as very few locations within the city could host a solar PV system of a comparable size, and this single purchase will offset power usage at multiple facilities.
CEC developed the Jeffco Community Solar Arrays within Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards Communities program, two of 11 optimally sited and maintained facilities currently operating or under construction in Denver, Jefferson, Boulder, Arapahoe, Summit and Lake counties. The model allows electricity customers of any kind the opportunity to use locally-made clean power without having to install a stand-alone system on site. Customers receive the same rebates and incentives as on-site system owners, and credit for the power produced appears directly on Lakewood’s monthly Xcel Energy bills.
Lakewood’s combined purchase will generate energy credits of approximately $110,000 on its yearly electricity bill. Once the loan Lakewood used to purchase the solar power is paid off, the city expects to reap substantial savings on its electricity costs over the 20-year solar agreement. Total savings is estimated at more than $3,000,000.
“This application of CEC’s community solar solution is a strong testament to the role it can play in helping municipal organizations like the City of Lakewood guard against rising energy costs and foster healthy living through environmental stewardship,” said CEC founder and CEO Paul Spencer.
About Clean Energy Collective
Clean Energy Collective (CEC) is the nation’s leading developer of community solar solutions. CEC pioneered the model of delivering clean power-generation through large-scale solar PV facilities accessible to all utility customers. Since establishing the first community-owned solar garden in the country in 2010 near El Jebel, Colorado, CEC has built or has under development more than 49 community solar projects with 19 utility partners across 8 states, representing over 37 MW of community solar capacity. www.easycleanenergy.com
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