COSSA Solar Power and Energy Storage Awards
The COSSA Solar Power and Energy Storage Awards recognize the individuals, projects and products behind the successful – and continued – growth of renewable energy in the Mountain West. Reaching across market segments and business types to represent the entire value chain, the winners exemplify the innovative spirit of Colorado’s clean energy movement.
The 2019 Winners Include
Senator Steve Fenberg
2019 Solar and Storage Champion of the Year
Colorado State Senator Steve Fenberg was a prime sponsor of Colorado’s 2018 Senate Bill 18-009 that cements Colorado residents’ right to install, interconnect and use energy storage systems on their property. SB 18-009 sets guidelines for the installation of and eliminates barriers, such as prohibitive fees, to encourage adoption. In the context of increasingly frequent storms and extreme weather events, ths bill empowers property owners to increase their energy independence and bolster energy resilience.
Representative Chris Hansen
2019 Solar and Storage Champion of the Year
Representative Hansen helped shephard Senate Bill 18-003 through the House, which reauthorized the Colorado Energy Office and provided a stable funding level for work on energy efficiency and policy. The statute promotes both traditional and alternative fuel sources while continuing to help residents, businesses, schools and farms to cut down on energy usage and install modern energy technology.
Platte River Power Authority
2019 Electric Utility of the Year
Unlike many local governments who pushed back while communities throughout the nation asked a 100 percent renewable energy by 2030 pledge, Platte River Power Authority engaged with and listened to their member communities. In December 2018, this electricity provider pledged to obtain a 100 percent non-carbon resource mix by 2030, a large step in the right direction for the clean energy future.
Town of Walden, in partnership with GRID Alternatives Colorado and Johnson Controls
2019 Commercial / Industrial PV Project of the Year
Working together, the Town of Walden, GRID Alternatives Colorado and Johnson Controls constructed Colorado’s first floating solar array, and one of only five in the country, at the Town of Walden’s drinking water treatment facility. The 75 kW project will provide clean power to treat drinking water for the town, the local school district and the Jackson County Offices. While only 600 people call Walden home, 20 percent currently live below the poverty line, and the town doesn’t own enough land to host an array. The floating solar project provided an innovative, money-saving solution to a town committed to a cleaner energy future.
Cypress Creek Renewables with White River Electric Association
2019 Utility Scale Solar Project of the Year
Piceance Creek Solar is a 5.4 megawatt single-axis tracking system, providing over 10,000,000 kWh/year to White River Electric Association. It is currently the largest utility scale solar project in northwestern Colorado and was uniquely collaborative among local stakeholders.
Southard Solar
2019 Residential Rooftop Installation of the Year
Southard Solar’s Skimmerhorn solar shingle installation in Fort Collins, Colorado breaks from traditional rack-mounted systems and provides performance and aesthetics. In this instance, CertainTeed’s Solar Apollo II shingle acts as the roof, all while producing energy for the homeowners in a 13 kW system paired SMA inverters.
Pivot Energy
2019 Community Solar Project of the Year
The Garfield Housing Authority is a low-income senior living facility in Parachute, Colorado that now benefits from 100% of the power generated from a nearby 100 kW fixed-tilt solar array. Pivot Energy was allowed to construct the array at no cost on the Authority’s adjacent land in exchange for the Housing Authority receiving 20 years of free solar energy bill credits, lowering their operating costs, saving money for both the administration and individual tenants.
AES Distributed Energy
2019 Best Storage Application of the Year
AES Distributed Energy’s (AES DE) test bed facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Colorado location has provided AES DE with a range of product validation capabilities. By simulating real-world, grid-tied environments, it is designed to ensure programmatic and technical success for solar PV + Battery Energy Storage Systems. This testbed was crucial to the success of two solar + storage facilities built for Kauai Island Utility Cooperative. Using a first-of-its-kinda DC-coupled solutions, dubbed the PV Peaker Plant, integrates PV and storage at unprecedented scales to transform intermittent renewable generation into safe, reliable and dispatchable power.
The Awards Ceremony
The 2019 COSSA Solar Power and Energy Storage Award winners will be celebrated during an awards ceremony on April 14 from 6:00 – 7:30 pm at the Hyatt Regency in Aurora, C.O., kicking off the Solar Power and Energy Storage Mountain West conference. Register for the ceremony and conference here.
