Keep Colorado a leader in solar power to benefit all

Coloradans who have gone solar know that installing rooftop solar is easier and less expensive than ever. When homeowners spend their own money to go solar, they reduce public utilities’ need to build expensive generation resources and purchase the power to fuel them. This is one way that rooftop solar benefits everyone. When enough of your neighbors use their own money to build their own “solar power plants,” it reduces the need for the utility to build expensive power plants and raise electric rates.

Colorado has been a leader in using alternative energy, especially solar power. The state’s solar industry now has 4,200 people who work in the industry with most of those jobs being middle-class, good-paying jobs with benefits.

The Colorado solar industry should be allowed to grow without being hindered by existing regulations. A bill in the last legislative session, sponsored by Rep. Max Tyler, D-Lakewood, would have directed the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to open an investigatory proceeding to explore utility revenue models and report them back to the general assembly. The bill declared that certain factors other than short-term economic costs deserve to be considered in establishing the rates and policies of investor-owned public utilities, for example, long-term economic sustainability; efficiency of generation, delivery, and consumption; the resiliency and diversity of energy generation resources; environmental factors including water consumption and carbon emissions; and customer satisfaction.

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Commercial Solar is a big investment, but not an overwhelming one

Solar offers a significant economic benefit for commercial property owners while also positively impacting the environment and offering a path to compliance for new municipal requirements like Energize Denver. A local, experienced solar installer will help you navigate the complexities of commercial solar to achieve financial success for your project.

I am hopeful for more progress in the 2016 legislative session. Increased use of solar can help Colorado meet the requirements of the Clean Power Plan designed to reduce carbon pollution from power plants. Coloradans want solar and should have the choice of where to get their power.

Does your legislator support renewable and clean energy for Colorado? Ask him or her and say that you support legislation to help the solar industry grow in our state.

Our company and others in Colorado’s solar industry are passionate about our mission to expand solar energy to more people in more communities. It’s time to change regulations to allow the industry to grow as it should.

Alex Valdez is president of Denver-based EcoMark Solar.