Colorado and the country are at an energy crossroad. The choices we make today commit us to a long-term energy future. By investing in Colorado’s abundant solar resources we can create tens of thousands of good-paying, green collar jobs, spur innovation in clean energy technologies and help Coloradans save money with homegrown power. 

With our 300 sunny days, Colorado has the 5th-greatest solar potential in the country. We need to plug-in to that potential to get 10 percent of state’s energy from a combination of homegrown power -- allowing ordinary Coloradans to generate their own electricity and heat hot water -- and utility scale solar plants. To do that we need to:

• Build half a million new solar roofs,

• Create a state-wide rebate program to ensure that all Coloradans get fair treatment,

• Expand the use of solar hot water heaters, and

• Develop central station solar power plants.

By acting boldly now, Colorado can demonstrate that we can improve the economy and the environment at the same time -- recharging the economy and reduce global warming pollution.  The first step is to Go Solar! By going solar we can:

• Put Coloradans to work: Jobs in the solar industry have tripled in the past three years, but we can add tens of thousands more if we just keep going solar.

• Build the New Energy Economy: By investing in solar, we open up a new market and keep Colorado at the forefront of a national clean energy future.

• Protect Colorado’s Environment: Electricity generation causes 47 percent of Colorado’s global warming pollution. By going solar we cut global warming and air pollution.

Colorado’s sunny skies are an endless vein we can tap to supply clean energy to meet growing demand for pollution free power and move us toward energy independence. According to our latest report, On the Rise, Colorado has the potential to be a national leader in developing solar power plants. See our full report here.

Colorado has the resources to Go Solar! From half a million solar roofs to solar hot water heaters to powering our cars with clean solar power, we can help Coloradans save money, save energy and save the planet with the right investments.  

Colorado won’t Go Solar! without your support. We need you to tell your local legislator to Go Solar!  Specifically, we are calling for legislators to support policies that will: 

• Expand the use of solar hot water heaters,

• Build half-a-million new solar roofs, and

• Make sure that all Coloradans get fair treatment by creating a state-wide rebate program.

Take action here.

With over 300 days of sunshine every year, our state’s energy future rises every morning. We need to plug-in to Colorado’s best resources by building half-a-million solar roofs, developing large-scale solar power plants, and investing in solar hot water heaters.  

In addition to being rich in solar power, we also have access to some of the nation's best and brightest scientists and researchers at NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory), NCAR (National Center for Atmospheric Research), CU-Boulder and the Colorado School of Mines to help us develop that potential. Plugging into this clean, homegrown resource will bring more reliable energy, cleaner air, new jobs and greater energy independence for all Coloradans to enjoy.

Solar Roofs

Homegrown power is safe, secure and sensible. Building half-a-million solar roofs will create tens of thousands of jobs, cut global warming pollutions and provide Coloradans with stable energy prices for decades to come.   

From the Front Range, to the West Slope, to the Eastern Plains, Colorado is rich in clean, abundant, free solar power, we just need to get our homes and ranches tapped in.  To do that, we need the right policies and incentives that will help kick start this growing marking into high gear.

Solar Power Plants

Colorado ranks among the top states in country for solar power plant potential.  For more than twenty years now, solar power plants in the United States have been generating clean, reliable electricity. With the ability to store power for six hours or more, solar power plants can generate electricity in the evening and at night and provide a pollution-free alternative to natural gas now and to coal in the future. 

Using only 2 percent of the best resources for solar power plants in Colorado would meet half the state’s peak demand, or about 5.5 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, enough to power 1.7 million homes.  

In addition to supplying power that is free of global warming pollution and other toxins, solar plants bring economic development opportunities, especially to states like Colorado which could be among the first to deploy the technology. Research shows that developing 1 GW of concentrating solar power would bring between 3,000 and 4,000 construction jobs, over a thousand permanent, green-collar jobs, and between $2 and $4 billion in private investment.

Solar Hot Water

Solar hot water systems provide an excellent opportunity for Colorado to reduce our consumption of natural gas and propane and take advantage of a simple renewable energy technology. 

Solar hot water systems use sunlight heating water without pollution. A typical, two panel system, with an 80–120 gallon tank, can provide 80 percent of the daily hot water needs for a family of four. 

Solar hot water systems are even more effective at reducing gas and propane consumption when combined with other energy efficient technologies such as Energy-Star appliances, efficient insulation and condensing furnaces. 

A study by the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that installing solar thermal technologies on 75 percent of building and homes across the U.S. would cut more than 300 million tons of CO2 pollution annually. 

Solar hot water systems are a popular technology worldwide. By the end of 2005, 46 million houses across the globe had these systems. Spain mandates them on all new developments and the European Union has a total installed capacity of 9,500 MW, about 600 times the solar thermal capacity in the U.S.