Clean Energy Collective snags large share of Solar Rewards contracts from Xcel

LOUISVILLE — Solar energy developer Clean Energy Collective has earned contracts for eight community solar gardens, including one in Boulder County, as part of a new round of Solar Rewards Community program awards announced Tuesday by Xcel Energy Inc.

The eight CEC projects will total 12 megawatts of generating capacity, accounting for more than a third of the nearly 30-megawatts-worth of projects awarded by Xcel to be spread across nine counties.

Louisville-based CEC’s new Boulder County solar garden will be 502 kilowatts in size, though a company spokesman said the location has yet to be finalized. The company has built two previous community solar gardens of roughly 500 kilowatts each under the Solar Rewards program. Both are located in southern Boulder County off of South 66th Street.

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Under the Solar Rewards program, residents and businesses that are Xcel customers can purchase individual panels in the gardens from developers such as CEC. Xcel signs a long-term deal to buy the power from the solar gardens to help supply its grid, and credits owners of the panels for the electricity generated. Xcel also pays the customers for renewable-energy credits that the company uses to help meet the state’s renewable energy standards.

Of CEC’s first two community gardens in Boulder County, the first is sold out, and the second is about 30 percent sold. Having multiple gardens spread across adjacent counties, CEC spokesman Tim Braun said, helps increase opportunities for large commercial customers to buy into the gardens since no one customer can own more than 40 percent of an individual garden.