Community solar' power grows in Colorado

The amount of electricity generated by "community solar" power systems has grown rapidly in the last few years in Colorado — and may be poised for even bigger growth. "Community solar" is the name given to commercial-sized solar power systems in which individuals or businesses can buy or lease individual solar power panels — and get credit off their monthly bill for the renewable power generated by the systems. The systems generally range in capacity between 500 kilowatts and 2 megawatts. The systems allow homeowners and business people who want solar power but can't put a system on their own rooftops because they rent the home, live in an apartment complex, or the roof is too shaded or faces the wrong direction. Solar gardens allow those customers to buy into a larger solar array and get credit for the solar power that's generated. The first system came online in Colorado in 2009, when United Power, a Brighton-based rural electric cooperative serving more than 67,000 customers in areas of six counties north of Denver, was the first utility to create a solar garden with 48 solar power panels. The coop installed another 48 panels in August 2010.