If approved by the CPUC, Grid Alternatives Colorado states this settlement would be one of the most robust, well-designed low-income solar programs in the country.

In a press announcement, GRID Alternatives Colorado, an affiliate of the nation’s largest nonprofit solar installer, today announced its support for a comprehensive utility settlement being considered by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) this week to address significant state energy policy issues and increase access to solar power for Colorado’s most underserved communities.

Steamboat Springs — The cobalt September sky and mild temperatures in the high 60s provided the perfect atmosphere for small packs of volunteers in yellow vests and hard hats, who were installing a new solar array on the Steamboat Springs campus of Yampa Valley Electric Association.

The Colorado Energy Office (CEO), GRID Alternatives (GRID) and Yampa Valley Electric Association (YVEA) announce the development of a community solar array that will lower the electric bills of qualified low-income residents in its Colorado service territory.

Holy Cross Energy is teaming up with the Colorado Energy Office and GRID Alternatives to develop a community solar array that will lower the electric bills of qualified low-income residents in the electric cooperative’s Western Colorado service territory.

Think of it as the solar equivalent of a Habitat for Humanity house. That’s what happened at a Colorado co-op, where lower income members pitched in to build a community solar project that will help reduce their electric bills.

“Every time I go by this now I can say hey, you know what, I was part of that project,” said one of these beneficiaries, Ed Fry. He’s is a retired firefighter and medic who lives on his social security check. The solar garden project should cut his electricity bill from $60 a month to about $20.

Construction is underway on a community solar array in Gypsum from Holy Cross Energy which would power 30 to 40 local homes in a model that could serve as a example for many other places to follow.

A collaborative effort between three renewable energy supporters made Empire Electric Association's Solar Assist Cooperative Garden a reality. The story of the partnership between the Cortez-based electric co-op and GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit from California, started when GRID reached out to EEA through the Colorado Energy Office.

Households in Colorado with income less than 80 percent of the area median, also known as income-qualified households, may face utility bills up to 15 percent of their net household income, depending on the season, reports show. In comparison, non income-qualified households typically pay less than 4 percent for their utility bills. To help alleviate a portion of this utility cost burden, Glenwood Springs-based Holy Cross Energy is partnering with GRID Alternatives Colorado and the Colorado Energy Office to implement an income-qualified community solar array project.