CEC Celebrates Groundbreaking of Summit County's First Community-Owned Solar Garden

BRECKENRIDGE, COLO. (June 3, 2013) Solar garden pioneer Clean Energy Collective (CEC) along with officials from the Town of Breckenridge and the High Country Conservation Center gathered to commemorate the ground breaking of the Breckenridge Ullr Solar Array, the first community-owned photovoltaic (PV) system in Summit County, Colo.

The 500 kW clean power facility located southeast of Breckenridge will serve Xcel Energy customers across Summit County, Colo. Construction is due to be complete later this summer, and panel owners will see a power credit on their utility bill as soon as the array goes online.

"We are really excited to celebrate the groundbreaking of this array because Summit County is so passionate about the environment," said CEC founder Paul Spencer. "Anyone in Summit County will have access to simple, affordable clean energy."

Any residential, commercial, or non-profit Xcel Energy customer can purchase the 235-Watt panels for $870 each, with a minimum purchase of five panels up to as many as needed to completely power a home or business. CEC is taking deposits for panel purchases on a first-come, first-served basis. Thanks to the Town of Breckenridge's enthusiastic support of the program, Breckenridge residents and businesses will receive a $0.10/Watt rebate.

Breckenridge Mayor John Warner said the groundbreaking event marked a milestone more than a decade in the making. "We are moving forward, realizing some of the visions and goals that we put together regarding sustainability."

To date, the towns of Breckenridge and Silverthorne as well as Summit County have committed to purchasing a significant portion of the panels in the Breckenridge Ullr Solar Array and the second 500 kW array planned for north Breckenridge. CEC is also devoting 5% of the power produced by the more than 2,000 solar panels, or about 25 kW, to low-income residents.

CEC's community-owned solar model allows 100% of a utility's ratepayers—including businesses, renters, those with shaded properties, and people of all income levels—the opportunity to own clean, locally-produced energy. Members receive all of the same rebates and incentives of home-sited systems, and receive credit for the power produced directly on their monthly electric bills.

Community solar represents the fastest growing segment of Colorado's renewable energy sector. CEC currently operates six community solar facilities in Colorado representing 3.2 MW of distributed power generation serving Xcel Energy, Holy Cross Energy, San Miguel Power Association, Colorado Springs Utilities, and Poudre Valley REA. CEC is also developing eight additional community-owned solar gardens under the Xcel Solar*Rewards program—3.1 MW—to serve Colorado customers in Boulder, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe and Summit Counties and the City of Aurora. Nationally, CEC also has arrays operating or under construction in, New Mexico, Minnesota and Vermont and anticipates over 7.6 MW of clean renewable power capacity by the end of the 2013.

More information about the Breckenridge Ullr Solar Array and community solar is available at www.easycleanenergy.com or by calling (800) 646-0323.

About Clean Energy Collective (CEC)

Colorado-based Clean Energy Collective is a developer of community-based renewable energy facilities and a national leader in community power generation. CEC pioneered the model of delivering clean power-generation through large-scale facilities collectively owned by participating utility customers. www.easycleanenergy.com