First-Ever Solar Community Breaks Ground in Grand Valley

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. - Foundation for the first house in the River Trail subdivision is well underway. "It is the first of its kind, I believe, on the Western Slope of Colorado that's going to have this magnitude of homes," said Michael Queally with Apex Realty. All of the houses in the development off 31 1/2 and D roads will be equipped with energy efficient appliances, as well as solar panels. "Buildings in the United States consume about 40 percent of energy," explained Lou Villaire, co-owner of Alasta Solar. "We can achieve Energy Star standards using an insulated slab, advanced construction techniques and advanced framing," said Darin Carei, president of Senergy Builders. Each home in the solar community is built with efficiency in mind, as well as the homeowner's pocket book. "It will reduce consumers' energy costs by two-thirds of a normal code-built house of this size, shape and dimensions," added Carei. "We are designing the solar electric system to provide 100-plus percent of the electricity that the average homeowner needs," said Villaire. Officials say these kinds of communities are the way of the future. "We're starting to think about solar differently. In other words, instead of actually adding it to a home, it is part of the home you purchase," explained Villaire. Besides inspiring views, the neighborhood's location is prime for taking advantage of the "green" lifestyle. "It is adjacent to the Colorado River. The River Front Trail is right out your front door," said Queally. A bus line even runs right across the street along D Road. "It's kind of the whole package wrapped up together into one," added Queally. Each yard will also be xeriscaped for minimal upkeep. Officials hope to build around 200 homes in the next three years. The first model home should be ready in 60 to 75 days.

At last, a home: Carei focuses on self sufficiency

Of basic human needs fulfilled — a big drink of water, a stomach full of food, a clean set of clothes — it could be argued that a roof overhead offers the most complex emotional fulfillment. For all the platitudes about home being an attitude rather than a place, there’s tremendous security in sturdy walls to keep out the rain. Home may be a state of mind, but it’s also a safe place to sleep, a haven at the end of the day, a necessity for a healthy, happy life. Darin Carei is passionate about home: making it lasting and energy-efficient, helping secure it for others, establishing it as a pillar in a self-sufficient life. Carei, 52, is president of EnergyWise Companies, which offers among its services consultation on energyefficient building and design, energy audits, Energy Star rating, general contracting through Senergy Builders and, with the July merger with Atlasta Solar Center, solar sales and installation. During the workday, home is a place that efficiently keeps the cold out and the power bills low, that will stand for decades, that doesn’t stomp an enormous carbon footprint. “Take responsibility for your impact” — it’s painted on the wall inside the showroom at EnergyWise’s new location at 1111 S. Seventh St. During Carei’s off hours, though, home is more about belief: that everybody should have one, that he’s been blessed with abilities and resources and it’s his responsibility to share them, that no goal is too lofty if it means more people have a safe, secure place to live. “Darin’s passion is self-sufficiency,” said longtime friend John Mok-Lamme. “He’s all about the hand up, not the hand out, seeing people move toward self-sufficiency.” His passion stems, in large part, from his faith in God, said his wife of 26 years, Tammera. But it also stems from walking through this world with a sense that people are connected and have a responsibility to look out for each other. And it stems from a commitment to the home he found in the Grand Valley. Originally from southern New Jersey, Carei met a girl when he was a student at Rutgers University. She moved to Grand Junction and he followed, and when she returned to New Jersey he stayed here, enrolling in Mesa College to study economics. As part of his studies, he interned at the Energy Information Office, helping to publish the Solar Directory and organize the Solar Home Tour. That planted a seed that germinated for decades, because the road was winding on his way to energy-efficient building. First, it was his passion for cars, particularly British ones (yes, they are notorious for breaking down; yes, he’s heard all the jokes). He went to work for Metric Motors, which he eventually bought and renamed Metric Automotive Inc. He ran that business until 1994, when he sold it and it eventually became Rocky Mountain Subaru. At that point, with a wife and two young kids, he returned to Mesa to finish his degree while also operating an art gallery and a specialty auto finance company. In 1997, he became a partner in Grace Homes Real Estate and Construction. As a general contractor, he built more than 1,500 homes and learned a sobering fact: buildings consume more energy than transportation or industry — “I read that 70 percent of our energy is being consumed by buildings,” Carei said. “I started to think there has to be a better way. I got really interested in energy consumption and energy efficiency and the science of efficient building.” EnergyWise Companies was founded in 2008, and as its president, Carei oversees many avenues that lead to increased energy efficiency. As consultants, EnergyWise is certified to give Energy Star ratings to homes and buildings, using technology that includes infrared imaging. But even before that, Carei and the rest of the EnergyWise team consult on blueprints and at each step in the construction process, with the ultimate goal of increasing energy efficiency and lowering costs for homeowners. It has taken some careful explaining, since a common perception is that energy-efficient building costs more. “But I think people appreciate an energy efficient home in the long run,” he said. “Energy efficiency is a cost that has the fastest return on your investment.” And ultimately, it’s about having a good home, because everybody deserves one. He and Tammera bought their first one together on the corner of G Road and Seventh Street when he was 28 because “home ownership was a priority for us from the very beginning,” Tammera said. “I do think home ownership is a stabilizing factor in our society,” he explained. On the road to home ownership is establishing a safe and secure home. In that vein, he served as board chair of Homeward Bound of the Grand Valley, a board member of Grand Valley Catholic Outreach and Housing Resources of Western Colorado and as a co-founder and board chair of Karis Inc. Karis was built on the experiences of the Faith Foundation, a Christian nonprofit group that Carei founded and that fundraised for human services efforts in the Grand Valley. One such effort was an idea to buy previously owned modular homes, refurbish them and make them available to families with low incomes, which resulted in nine homes in Candlewood Park. Karis is the engine behind The House, a place for homeless teens where they not only have a safe place to stay, but get help accessing education and resources. “Before The House, they were taken to DYS and that’s not the place to be taken if you have serious decisions to make,” Carei said. “It was years of searching and fundraising to get this going, and it’s truly by God’s grace that it exists.” It is a home for teens that otherwise wouldn’t have one, and it underscores the importance of the security and joy that home can provide. Carei goes to his own home each night, the home he and Tammera were able to build, to daughter Summer, 14 — son Bryan, 24, and daughter Jessica, 26, have their own homes now — to a life of work and entrepreneurship, of big ideas. He goes home, and that means a lot.

Solar Energy International (SEI) Responds to Colorado's Million Solar Roofs Campaign with Expansion of Solar Training Offerings Throughout the State

In response to the Colorado Solar Energy Industry Association's recent release of their Million Solar Roofs Campaign Solar Energy International (SEI) has expanded the amount of Colorado based training opportunities for 2013. Christopher Turek, Director of Online and Student Services for SEI said, "The increase of residential solar installations across the state is going to increase the need to a highly trained workforce here in the state of Colorado. SEI stands ready to be the preferred training provider for the thousands of solar professionals it will take to reach this goal of a Million Solar Roofs." "As an initial response to this campaign from COSEIA, SEI has expanded our Colorado based solar training opportunities and are offering over 50 workshops, online courses, and hands-on lab opportunities in Paonia, Boulder and Online in 2013. All of these courses and workshops qualify for credit towards graduating from SEI's Solar Professionals Certificate Program." 2013 Training Opportunities in Colorado Include: *ST101: Solar Hot Water Design and Installation *PV101: Solar Electric Design and Installation (Grid-Direct) *PV110: Solar Water Pumping *PV202: Advanced PV System Design and the NEC (Grid-Direct) *PV201L: Solar Electric Lab Week (Grid-Direct) *PV301L: Solar Electric Lab Week (Battery-Based) *PV351L: PV Systems - Tools and Techniques for Operation and Maintenance Lab Week (Grid-Direct) SEI has been the solar industry's leading technical solar training provider for solar installers and other related solar professionals for over 20 years. Many SEI students go on to achieve the required amount of real world experience to sit for leading industry certifications. In a recent study it was revealed that SEI has trained over a 1/3 of all North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners, the nation's leading certification entity. NABCEP is the nation's most established certification body for solar industry professionals; in 2010, its program was adopted as a standard benchmark in Colorado House Bill 10-1001. The intention was to require that appropriately trained professionals supervise solar PV project installations in order for the projects to qualify for ratepayer-funded incentives. Blake Jones, CEO of Namaste Solar in Boulder Colorado said, "SEI is, of course, very well respected by Namaste Solar and the rest of the Solar Industry. This is taken into account when reviewing employment applicants' resumes and where they received their training. Establishment of the SEI Solar Professionals Certificate Program will help formalize proof of a rigorous training program completion and make it easier to distinguish training certificate holders from other employment applicants." The goal of COSEIA's campaign is to drastically increase the amount of solar applications across the state, both in Photovoltaic applications for generation of electricity as well as Solar Thermal applications for heating and cooling applications of solar energy technology. From the COSEIA website, "You can help make this vision a reality by joining the Million Solar Roofs campaign. The goal is provide about 3 Gigawatts of solar energy in Colorado by 2030 through a combination of photovoltaic electric systems and solar thermal heating and cooling systems. We want to encourage and enable solar energy of all kinds and all sizes—from small arrays on homes to large utility-scale projects, and from community solar gardens to industrial rooftop projects." "When we envision generating enough energy to power a million solar roofs in Colorado by 2030, we are talking about a ten-fold increase in the amount of solar already installed in our state." "Currently, Colorado has nearly 300 megawatts of solar thermal and solar electric systems installed on more than 10,000 homes and businesses. We want to set the stage to scale up our use of the sun's energy from niche market to mainstream source. A ten-fold increase would represent about 3 Gigawatts of solar and if we can generate more- so much the better." About Solar Energy International (SEI) Solar Energy International (SEI) was founded in 1991 as a nonprofit educational organization to help others to use renewable energy resources and sustainable building technologies through education and technical assistance. Our vision is focused on helping create a more sustainable future for our planet and its inhabitants. Through our work, we see clear opportunities to influence people's thinking and behaviors towards energy efficiency and the use of natural, sustainable methods of energy production and utilization.

Colorado Springs Utilities Get More Solar Power

Colorado Springs Utilities will expand its solar gardening program by adding 10 megawatts eligible for rebates in the next three years, a major increase from the two megawatts developed under a pilot program that ended in 2012. Solar gardens allow residents to invest in solar power without having panels attached to their homes, which is useful especially for those who rent and those whose rooftops aren't conducive to panel installation. How rebates are handled will change from an up-front payout to a performance-based incentive, whereby Utilities pays for kilowatt hours generated instead of capacity installed, explains David Amster-Olszewski, owner of solar-garden provider SunShare. The change stems from a city audit that found several problems, including deviation from a requirement that subscribers were supposed to pay their obligation to the developer prior to the developer being paid the incentive. Amster-Olszewski says the change means the rebate will be paid over 20 years, forcing the solar garden developer to be accountable for the project long-term. "Instead of getting the rebates upfront, now they have a strong incentive to keep the system running for 20 years," he says in an e-mail. The program, sanctioned by a majority of the Utilities Board, which is made up of City Council members, will add three megawatts this year, three in 2014 and four in 2015. Reimbursement rates for the solar power bought by Utilities will be 16 cents per kilowatt hour this year, 12 cents in 2014 and 10 cents for 2015. That will cost ratepayers $21 million over the next 20 years, Utilities officials say. "What they're trying to get to is zero," says Utilities spokesman Dave Grossman, "where the industry can get by on its own without being subsidized." Council is expected to vote on the program's new tariff on April 9. The effective date of the program hasn't been determined, Grossman says.