Solar power has a bright future in Colorado Springs

With temperatures expected to fall next week, you’ll be turning up the heat.

For some people in Colorado Springs, the energy that will warm them up will come from the sun.

And why not, it’s almost always shining in Colorado and it can power your house.

Hooking up to harness that power has become attractive to customers of Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU).

Kenny Navarro from Colorado Springs Utilities said, “customers also are very interested in using renewable energy in their homes and businesses.”

CSU offers incentives to customers who want to install solar collectors on their homes. It’s so popular that those incentives have sold out. Romer says that the incentives for homeowners could return later this year if enough businesses don’t sign up.

But there is another way.

Until recently, tapping into the power of the sun meant putting a large solar collector on your roof at a cost of thousands of dollars. But now it’s as easy as buying a share in a large collection of solar panels.

SunShare was founded four years ago on a concept that solar could be accessible to everyone.

“What we wanted to do is build bigger systems in the community that customers could participate in,” said David Amster-Olscewski, the CEO of SunShare.

It’s no longer based in Colorado Springs, but the company hasn’t forgotten it’s local roots. They have two solar gardens in the city already, with another on the way.

“I think that it will be the largest solar garden in the country at 2.5 megawatts,” said Amster-Olscewski.

SunShare partners with Colorado Springs Utilities on project like solar gardens. Collaborations such as that are examples of what will be common in the future.

Romero said, “Colorado Springs Utilities works with the local solar developers and customers by offering incentives.”

It all points to a very bright future for solar power.