Distributed Energy Resources, Solar, Sourcing Renewables - November 20, 2023
Fountain, Colorado Now Offsets 100% Municipal Electrical Use
The City of Fountain, Colorado added a solar array project which now allows the city to offset 100% of the electricity used to power municipal facilities and streetlights.
The project includes a 1.67 MW solar system, which also contributes to improvements to energy efficiency in the city's facilities. Through LED lighting retrofits at a fire station, water upgrades for buildings and parks, and an updated building automation system with an advanced integration platform, Fountain's facilities have undergone significant enhancements.
This project in Colorado was developed by Veregy, a NAESCO accredited energy services provider.
The City of Fountain received partial funding from the State of Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA). A Renewable and Clean Energy Initiative grant of $1.35 million covered 37% of the $3.66 million solar array project. The solar portion of this initiative is projected to generate approximately $175,000 in annual energy savings for the duration of the contract, based on current energy prices.
According to a statement, “The City is thrilled to complete this project as it has introduced a new local source of power to the community, expanded diversity of its power supply, and increased the ability to achieve long term electric rate stability. Utilizing the State of Colorado’s Performance Contracting Program enabled us to construct the project at no cost to our rate payers. Because the savings are guaranteed by the performance contractor Veregy, the City of Fountain now has a pilot program to evaluate the effectiveness of solar energy generation, with no risk to Fountain utilities customers.”
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