Colorado Solar Garden Program Expands as Prices Drop

New data revealed Colorado is home to some of the nations lowest solar photovoltaic system installation costs as one town looks to expand its pilot solar gardens program and improve its energy efficiency. The Gazette reported that the City Council of Colorado Springs has reached a compromise to expand its solar garden program after its original expansion program was halted due to the election of six new council members. Originally, the council approved a 10-megawatt expansion, due to the popularity of the pilot program. Since it's been scrapped, the compromise reached by new council members calls for a 2-MW expansion to take place over a single year. The compromise stems from concerns that the cost of the solar garden expansion would unfairly fall on the customers of the Colorado Springs Utility company, an effect that must be balanced with a need to fulfill state mandates that call for increased renewable energy portfolios. Originally going to cost $22 million, the solar garden expansion will now only cost $4.9 million over 20 years, offering a maximum incentive of 13 cents per kilowatt hour for customers who purchase portions of the garden. No matter how uneasy councilmen felt about the cost to utility customers, six out of nine members voted for the expansion. Utility customers will be charged 50 cents extra per year as a result. "Colorado Springs Utilities does not have to purchase one grain of coal to supply my electricity," said Bob Kinsey, a resident of Colorado Springs and owner of 20 solar panels. "And I am feeding electricity back into the system." The Price of Solar in Colorado Despite the local incentives towns and municipalities have to expand or undertake solar installations, the state of Colorado is one of the best states to install a solar system, at least when it comes to cost. In 1998, the average price to install a solar system hovered around $12 per watt. In 2012, the national average installed PV price was $5.30 per watt. However, for solar systems that range in size between 10kWs and 100kWs, Colorado boasts the lowest installed price in 2012, with it costing residents and businesses $3.70 per watt. "It is exciting to see tangible evidence that the Colorado solar industry is aggressively driving down solar installation costs," said Annie Lappé, solar policy director for Vote Solar. "Colorado installers are offering some of the most aggressive pricing options in the country."