Colorado has been at the epicenter of community solar development since the beginning. It was one of the first states to introduce the idea of building solar arrays on communal land and selling the power to residents surrounding it.

In fact, the state remains one of the leading community solar locations in the nation, which is what makes this news even more exciting.

Our community solar project at the Garfield County Housing Authority (GCHA), done in conjunction with our partners at Pivot Energy, was chosen by the Colorado Solar & Storage Association as its 2019 Community Solar Project of the Year.

Out of all the possible community solar projects they could have chosen, they chose ours—and we couldn’t be happier that they did. After all, it was the perfect project.

The 100 kW, fixed-tilt solar system is one of the first community solar projects we financed in Colorado, and it serves a low-income population that might not otherwise have the chance to access the Solar Revolution.  Although relatively small by community solar garden standards, this is a project with a big heart.

The project had the ideal set of criteria you’d want in a community solar project. The GCHA had unused land next to their facility and no plans to develop it. That’s when our partners, Pivot Energy, came up with the idea to use the land for a solar array. Pivot partnered with GCHA to develop their unused land at no cost in exchange for free solar subscriptions for their senior housing complex and administration building.

Under the solar power-purchase agreement made possible by Standard Solar’s in-house financing, GCHA will receive energy credits on their electricity bills for the next 20 years. Not only will it lower electricity costs for the administration facility, but it will also lower the bills of individual tenants at the GCHA’s senior housing complex.

We’re so pleased that our work and that of Pivot Energy on this project is getting recognition. The community solar development market is currently the hottest segment of the solar industry, and we see immense opportunities for growth. We look forward to funding more opportunities in Colorado and nationwide with our large, in-house capital pool. Using our expertise, we plan to make many more projects from 100kWs like this one to dozens of MWs a reality.