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    Denver Municipal Leaders approve $26M Community Solar Project plan

    Nov. 12, 2021
    The contract is expected to add 4.6 MW to the Renewable Denver Community Solar initiative
    Photo screen grab courtesy DOE
    Photo screen grab courtesy DOE

    Staff and News Reports.

    The Denver City Council’s safety committee has approved a $26 million contract for solar power generating facilities and electric vehicle charging stations in the city, according to the Denver Gazette website.

    The entire council will vote on the 25-year contract in the coming weeks. The contract is part of the Renewable Denver Community Solar initiative, which aims to set up 15 MW of city-owned community solar projects by 2025.

    The proposed contract with McKinstry Essention is for 10 solar panel arrays, which are expected to add 4.6 MW to the Renewable Denver Community Solar initiative. The contract will cover designing, construction and maintenance of the facilities. The solar arrays will be installed on rooftops and across land parcels and city parking lots. If the entire council approves the contract, construction will begin in four phases in 2022 and the contract will last until 1 November 2046.

    “From an equity standpoint, this is really important and is a great opportunity,” Council President Stacie Gilmore is quoted by the Denver newspaper article. “I’d be really interested in how we can build this program out.”

     A total of four of the arrays will be installed at the Denver International Airport and National Western Center Campus as well as solar carports at recreation centers, schools and city offices in Districts 5, 6, 8, 9 and 11. The distribution of the solar arrays has been criticised by some as not being spread out among community regions.

    Click here to read the full story in the Denver Gazette.

    About the Author

    EnergyTech Staff

    Rod Walton is senior editor for EnergyTech.com. He has spent 14 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist.

    Walton formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.

    He can be reached at [email protected]. 

    EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids.

    Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.