Shining Light on Colorado’s Solar Opportunity

Investing in the Sun
Economic and Environmental Benefits of Developing
 1,000 Megawatts of Distributed Generation Solar in Colorado

In partnership with Environment Colorado, we released a report, “Investing in the Sun,” that models the economic and environmental benefits of developing solar electricity on homes and businesses across Colorado. “Investing in the Sun” indicates that 1,000 megawatts of distributed solar energy in Colorado would deliver the following benefits over the lifetime of the systems:

8.2 Megawatt Alamosa Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Array in Alamosa, Colorado. - SunEdison & Zinn Photography.

8.2 Megawatt Alamosa Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Array in Alamosa, Colorado. - SunEdison & Zinn Photography.

  • Generate enough reliable, homegrown electricity to power 146,000 Colorado homes
  • Create more than 33,500 jobs in Colorado’s New Energy Economy
  • Produce $4.3 billion in total economic output (direct, indirect and induced economic activity generated through the construction and maintenance of the solar projects)
  • Save 6.8 billion gallons of water, a limited resource in Colorado
  • Avoid emitting 30 million tons of  the global warming pollutant carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking nearly 670,000 cars off the road

Read the full report here (PDF).

Take action to support passage of HB 10-1001 here.

The

Coreport analyzed the benefits of building 1,000 megawatts (MW) of smaller, distributed solar energy systems in Colorado. In addition to other distributed generation resources such as biomass and small-scale wind, HB 10-1001 is expected to deploy 700 MW of solar generation by 2020, which could result in the creation of 23,450 jobs over the life of the goal1.  The bill includes  a requirement that at least half of all solar distributed projects developed by IOUs be located on rooftops or within the distribution network.   Extending the same requirement  to all state electricity producers, including Municipal Electric Utilities and Electric Co-ops, Colorado could expect  to see 1000 MW of new rooftop solar power, and the full benefits quantified in “Investing in the Sun.”  HB 10-1001 puts the state firmly on this path, and is the next bold step in building Colorado’s New Energy Economy.

Full text of the study can be found at: www.votesolar.org/coloradoreport
“Investing in the Sun” indicates that 1,000 megawatts of distributed solar energy in Colorado would deliver the following benefits over the lifetime of the systems:
Generate enough reliable, homegrown electricity to power 146,000 Colorado homes
Create more than 33,500 jobs in Colorado’s New Energy Economy
Produce $4.3 billion in total economic output (direct, indirect and induced economic activity generated through the construction and maintenance of the solar projects)
Save 6.8 billion gallons of water, a limited resource in Colorado
Avoid emitting 30 million tons of  the global warming pollutant carbon dioxide, the equivalent of taking nearly 670,000 cars off the road

Colorado legislators are currently reviewing a bill (HB 10-1001) that requires investor-owned utilities (IOUs) to dramatically increase their percentage of electricity sales coming from these kinds of smaller, distributed renewable energy projects. In total, HB 10-1001 is expected to deploy 700 MW of distributed solar generation by 2020 – in turn supporting 23,450 jobs.  Extending the same requirement  to all state electricity producers, including Municipal Electric Utilities and Electric Co-ops, Colorado could expect  to see 1000 MW of new rooftop solar power, and the full benefits quantified in “Investing in the Sun.” 

For more information contact Annie Carmichael at annie@votesolar.org .