Solar Colorado

Installation of Solar Power in Colorado

Solar power in Colorado is a growing industry. As a state that sees the sun more than 300 days a year, Colorado is an excellent location for installing solar panels. In fact, Colorado is ranked in 11th place for most solar installed per capita across the United States. Back in 2004, it was voted that the state have 30% of electric generation come from renewable sources by 2020. This is the United States’ first Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard and Colorado is well on its way of achieving that goal. The current amount of solar installation in Colorado is approximately 925.8MW (In 2016, only 381.5MW of solar was installed) and over the next five years, Colorado expects to have 1,763MW of solar. This will continue to increase as more and more companies make the same decision as Kohl’s, Walmart, and Intel did, by saving with solar. Soon, the percentage of Colorado’s state electricity consumption from solar will be much greater than what it currently is at 1.86%.

In addition to environmental benefits, Colorado offers Federal Solar Tax Credit which allows you to claim up to 30% of the cost of solar installation on your tax bill. Please click here for more information on utility incentive programs and property and sales tax exemptions.

Types of Solar Power Systems

Grid Tie
Solar Systems

Grid Tie with Battery Backup Solar

Off Grid Solar for Remote Sites

Counties Serviced

Delta

Garfield

Gunnison

Mesa

Montrose

Ouray

San Miguel

Pueblo

 

Huerfano

Custer

Crowley

Kiowa

Otero

Bent

Powers

Baca

Las Animas

Fremont

Teller

El Paso

Lincoln

Cheyenne

Saguache

Rio Grande

Alamosa

Costilla

Conejos

San Archuleta

Chaffee

Hinsdale

La Plata

Park

Douglas

Elbert

Jefferson

Denver

Boulder

Arapahoe

Clear Creek

And many more

There are many different ways to install solar power in Colorado and each has their own unique benefits. The information below will help you determine which one would be most suitable for you.
 

The first, and most common, type of solar installation in Colorado is a grid tie electric system. (Also known as ‘grid-tied’ or ‘utility intertie photvoltaics/PV’) This system takes advantage of the sun by turning all available sunlight into electricity while still being connected to utility power.

If you use more power than your solar panels produce, your system will automatically pull energy from the grid. On the other hand, if your system is generating more power than you are using, the excess energy is sent out to the grid for use elsewhere. This is called Net Metering. A solar battery backup storage system is particularly useful in an event of a blackout or other utility power failure. The damage from a natural disaster or winter storm can be somewhat unpredictable. With a solar battery, you can rely on the fact that you’ll have continuous electricity no matter what.

Instead of sending excess energy back to the grid, this energy will be stored in your own personal solar battery. (If the battery is fully charged, you can send energy back to the grid). When you don’t have electricity from the solar panels or the grid, you can draw from this storage. An off-the-grid system is one that is not connected to any sort of electrical grid. This allows people to live independently without support from commercial companies. Living solely off of converted sunlight can be a great advantage for financial and environmental purposes. This means that your solar panels must make all the electricity for your home or business.

Mounting Solar Panels in Colorado

There are a couple different ways to mount solar systems. The most important question in determining where to mount solar panels is, ‘Where will I obtain the most sunlight?’ You want to put panels in a place that will ultimately generate the most electricity.

Roof Mounted Solar

A house with solar panels on the roof. Idaho solar; solar power Idaho; solar company Idaho

Roof Mounted Solar is great for:

  • Saving space
  • Having a streamlined appearance
  • Increasing property value
  • Protecting your roof from normal wear and tear

Ground Mounted Solar

Ground mounted solar panels installation. Idaho solar; solar power Idaho; solar company Idaho

Ground Mounted Solar is great for:

  • Adjusting the orientation of panels
  • Choosing the sunniest place of your yard
  • Not being limited on space

How Net Metering works in Colorado

Net metering is a huge advantage to solar users as it provides an option to get credit for any overabundance of energy they obtained. In Colorado, “any customer’s net excess generation (NEG) in a given month is applied as a kilowatt-hour (kWh) credit to the customer’s next bill.” For more information on net metering in Colorado please visit this page.

Begin Your Journey to Energy Independence

Free quote and no obligation. Simple installation process.

Idaho

Big Dog Solar
620 Pheasant Ridge Dr. Pocatello, ID 83201
(800) 291-SOLAR

Big Dog Solar
1190 W Taylor Suite 104 Meridian, ID 83642
(208) 254-2561

Colorado

Big Dog Solar
489 28 1/2 Rd. Grand Junction, CO 81501
(970) 875-6202

Corporate

support@bigdogsolar.com
620 Pheasant Ridge Dr.Chubbuck, ID 83202
(800) 291-SOLAR