Colorado city offsets 100% municipal energy use with 1.67-MW solar project

The City of Fountain, Colorado, announced a partnership with Veregy to build a 1.67-MW solar installation that will offset 100% of the city’s electrical usage.

This forward-thinking project is possible because the city is one of a handful of municipalities in Colorado that owns its own utilities, allowing it to be aggressive in meeting energy conservation goals. The city is the first in the Front Range of Colorado to offset all of its electricity usage for both city buildings and streetlights.

“I was struck by just how willing the leadership in Fountain was to think long-term and use their unique position to do something bold for their community,” said Oscar Rangel, account executive at Veregy.

To help finance this project, Veregy and the city worked together to secure a Renewable and Clean Energy Initiative grant from the State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs for $1,350,000.

“One of the most important parts of our job as elected officials is to make sure Fountain residents are consistently receiving the highest quality services we can provide at the most reasonable and efficient cost. The grant being used to fund this project was awarded to our city to improve the resiliency of our community’s electric supply while contributing to long-term rate stability. That’s a win for everyone, and the City of Fountain is proud to be a leader in Southern Colorado when it comes to electric reliability and sustainability,” said Fountain Mayor Sharon Thompson.

News item from Veregy

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Original Source: https://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2022/02/colorado-city-offsets-municipal-energy-use-with-solar-project/