Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association Inc. (PVREA) and the Clean Energy Collective (CEC) of Carbondale, Colo., have entered into an agreement to launch PVREA's community solar program with a solar garden at the PVREA headquarters site near Windsor, Colo.
The facility will provide an opportunity for members of the electric cooperative to purchase solar panels to offset their electric use. It will encompass more than 400 solar panels generating 115,000 W of electricity.
CEC will fund construction of the project, which is slated to begin in late spring. Once the project is completed, PVREA consumers will purchase panels for $618 per panel and receive monthly bill credits for the power produced by their panels. Under the power purchase agreement, the project may be expanded up to 2 MW as new members join.
The solar garden concept allows all consumers to participate in renewable energy, including renters, those with poorly sighted properties and individuals of all income levels, without having to build a costly system of their own, PVREA and CEC explain.
