Go Solar! Campaign lights up Colorado

With a successful legislative session behind us and a dozen pro-solar bills passed this year, Environment Colorado has turned its attention to working with Gov. Bill Ritter to harness one of Colorado’s most abundant resources—the sun. Currently, we are working to get Colorado to significantly increase its investment in solar power by tripling the amount of solar power generated in the state.

On our way to half a million solar roofs

Two years ago Environment Colorado started out with a vision to have half a million rooftops on homes, farms and businesses across Colorado generating power from the sun. Since then, we have passed a suite of solar bills designed to create financial incentives and break down barriers for solar technologies.

From urban centers on the Front Range to farmhouses in the San Luis Valley, all Coloradans have the opportunity to participate in the New Energy Economy.

Environment Colorado’s Go Solar! campaign is our road to a green recovery, and we have already proven that we can grow jobs, build a strong industry, and protect our environment all at the same time.

Investment in half a million solar roofs would create over 95,000 jobs and cut the pollution that causes global warming by an amount equivalent to removing almost 600,000 cars from Colorado’s roads.

Since the passage of Amendment 37, Colorado’s solar industry has tripled in size. In 2004, there were about 50 operating solar roofs in the state. By 2007, Colorado had more than 2,700 systems plugged into the sun and generating clean, green energy.

“Solar power has been a ray of sunshine in Colorado’s economy, but no industry is immune to the economic slowdown,” said Pam Kiely, legislative program director of Environment Colorado. “Gov. Ritter and the Legislature are making the right decisions to pre-wire Colorado for solar powered jobs to ensure that we keep on growing.”

Meeting future energy needs

By some estimates, the state will need almost 5,000 MW of new electricity generation in the next 20 years. We can either choose to travel down the same dirty path of building more coal plants, or we can continue to invest in clean, homegrown solar power.

Since taking office, Gov. Ritter has worked to prioritize building the New Energy Economy. Already, tens of thousands of Coloradans are working in new clean energy jobs.

In the months to come, we will be working closely with Gov. Ritter and the Governor’s Energy Office to keep Colorado on this path—ensuring that Colorado is repowered with clean solar electricity, and that we have a clear, bold goal for solar generation in Colorado.