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• Black Hills energy looking to cut solar-panel incentive plan

  August 24, 2012 12:37 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Black Hills Energy is asking the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for permission to cut its solar-panel incentive program by about 75 percent. The utility serves Pueblo and 52 towns and cities in southern Colorado. According to the Denver Post, the Rapid City, S.D.-based utility made the request... more »

• Local clean energy reps. agree with Obama's call for tax credits

  January 25, 2012 8:19 PM

  Last night in his State of the Union speech, President Obama called for an end to oil subsidies, urging lawmakers to instead pass tax credits to benefit the renewable energy industry. He said that green energy is clean, reduces dependence on foreign oil, and stimulates jobs and manufacturing at home.... more »

• Google to finance home solar systems

  September 28, 2011 11:53 AM

  NEW YORK (AP) - Google says it will invest $75 million to help 3,000 homeowners install solar panels on their roofs. The search giant announced Tuesday that it will establish a fund that local solar installers will be able to tap so they can offer financing plans to prospective buyers.... more »

• CC investing in solar

  September 2, 2011 1:15 PM

  144 solar panels are going in on the roof of the Worner Center on the Colorado College campus. It is part of a 9-million dollar investment with the goal of reducing energy use by 30-percent. More about this project this evening on News 5. more »

• Xcell Energy aligns with state energy plan

  May 14, 2011 2:20 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Officials at Colorado's largest energy provider say they're keeping a program encouraging home solar sources to help them meet the state's renewable energy mandate. The proposal is part of a plan Minneapolis-based Xcel Energy submitted to state regulators yesterday. more »

• $90 million loan goes to Alamosa solar company

  May 10, 2011 12:12 PM

  The Department of Energy has committed to loan $90 million to Congentrix of Alamosa to build a 30 megawatt photovoltaic power generating station in the San Luis Valley. U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu made the announcement today. The project will provide 75 construction jobs and 10 jobs after construction... more »

• Solar Roast heats up coffee business

  May 3, 2011 7:54 PM

  Pueblo has more than 300 days of sunshine a year--and for that reason two brothers moved here from Oregon to open a unique coffee shop powered by the sun. Their invention is like no other and now they're expanding. Michael and David Hartkop are the founders of Solar Roast Coffee... more »

• Pitkin County weighs rules for solar development

  April 30, 2011 4:12 PM

  ASPEN, Colo. (AP) - Pitkin County Commissioners are reviewing whether they can regulate one problem that an Aspen-area resident says comes from her neighbor's solar panels - glare. The Aspen Times reports commissioners are reviewing proposed rules for development of solar power on homes and businesses but haven't set... more »

• Colorado on short list for solar observatory

  April 26, 2011 5:15 PM

  BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - The University of Colorado and the University of Alabama-Huntsville have been named the two finalist for the location of the headquarters of the National Solar Observatory. The announcement was made Tuesday. The headquarters will serve as the principal science and data analysis center for the... more »

• Colorado courts GE for solar panel plant

  April 14, 2011 2:26 PM

  DENVER (AP) - Colorado lawmakers are trying to convince General Electric to bring the nation's largest solar panel manufacturing plant to the state. General Electric acquired the Arvada-based solar manufacturer PrimeStar Solar last week. Since then, GE has said Colorado is being considered for the site of its new... more »

• Proponents of nuclear power plant speak out

  March 15, 2011 11:23 PM

  Lines are being drawn in Pueblo County as county commissioners consider bringing a 24,000 acre nuclear power plant to Avondale. The debate is so heated, meeting nights are split based on those in favor and those who aren't. Tuesday night belonged to those in favor of bringing the plant to... more »

• Small company to build in Colorado Springs

  March 9, 2011 1:46 PM

  A small company that manufacturers electrical control panels plans to build a manufacturing facility in Colorado Springs. New Jersey based Olson Motor & Control will open a new facility on Aerotech Drive. It plans to hire 12 employees over the next five years. Olson builds control panels and... more »

• Solar map shows rooftops' potential

  January 2, 2011 2:13 PM

  BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - A free online "solar map" that allows people in the Denver area to calculate how much solar energy they could harvest from their rooftops has exceeded expectations. The Denver Regional Solar Map was started as a way to estimate solar potential on about 2,000 commercial... more »

• Green signs power big buck savings for Colorado Springs

  November 15, 2010 12:57 AM

  Solar energy helps power almost all Colorado Springs public schools flashing speed zone signs...and the savings are big. Simply in the initial installation costs, the money saved approaches $1 million dollars. "You don't have the boring, you don't have the excavation [both tasked needed to hook-up to a... more »

• NASA awards CU-Boulder $6.7 million for mission

  September 17, 2010 2:04 PM

  NASA has awarded $6.7 million to a University of Colorado team to help with a mission to the sun. The CU-Boulder team will design components of instruments that will be onboard the spacecraft. A small, car-sized satellite called Solar Probe Plus will go to a region of the sun... more »

• Neighborhood dispute over solar panels

  August 27, 2010 11:07 AM

  A Pennsylvania couple is seeing red thanks to their neighbor's efforts to go green. Jim and Judith Armour bought their window-filled house 15 years ago so they could let in sunlight. In late May a second blinding sun began beaming directly into their house from across the street... more »

• Every color under the sun

  August 3, 2010 12:52 PM

  Crayola's newest assembly line will produce every color imaginable, but its true focus is on "green". The Easton, Pennsylvania factory is powered by its own solar farm. The factory will produce roughly one billion crayons per year, a third of Crayola's total output. Along with its solar-made... more »

• Boulder lands new wind company

  July 27, 2010 9:53 AM

  A German-based renewable energy company is moving its U.S. wind-energy headquarters from Cleveland to Boulder in September. The company, juwi, already has its U.S. solar headquarters in Boulder. The move of its wind-energy headquarters is expected to bring 20 jobs to Boulder. Company officials say that the location... more »

• Total solar eclipse this weekend

  July 9, 2010 10:13 AM

  A total eclipse of the sun will occur Sunday, but don't be so quick to take out your special viewing glasses. Unlike recent solar eclipses, this year's sun show will be visible only in a narrow slice of the Southern Hemisphere. The eclipse will begin at sunrise 1,200 miles... more »

• Solar plane completes historic 24-hour flight

  July 8, 2010 10:24 AM

  An experimental solar-powered plane landed safely Thursday after completing its first 24-hour test flight, proving that the aircraft can collect enough energy from the sun during the day to stay aloft all night. Pilot Andre Borschberg eased the Solar Impulse onto the runway at Payerne airfield about 30 miles... more »

• Test flight of solar-powered plane underway

  July 7, 2010 4:03 PM

  An experimental solar-powered plane whose creators hope will someday be able to fly around the world using only solar energy took off for its first test flight Wednesday. The Solar Impulse took off from an airfield in Switzerland for a 24-hour test flight. The goal is to be able... more »

• State park energy bill signed by Governor in Pueblo

  June 8, 2010 6:50 PM

  An alternative energy bill was signed into law Tuesday with an aim of producing enough electricity at Colorado state parks to power them. Governor Bill Ritter signed the legislation at Lake Pueblo State Park. House Bill 1349 creates a new program designed to offset the amount of electricity used... more »

• Local Chipotle to go solar as a test

  June 3, 2010 6:24 PM

  One local Chipotle Restaurant will go solar as part of a national test. The Chipotle at Citadel Crossing will add solar panels to its roof. That location was chosen partly because of Colorado's bright sunshine. It's estimated the power bill will go down 30 to 40 percent. "It's... more »

• Denver company creates windows that can think

  May 12, 2010 1:39 PM

  Denver-based technology company RavenBrick has developed a "smart" window that can transform itself to maximize energy efficiency. The Raven Window Filter responds to sunlight and temperature to change the tint of the window, allowing more or less light into a building. RavenBrick CEO Alex Burney says the filter can... more »

• Colorado State University looks to add more solar

  May 10, 2010 8:39 AM

  Colorado State University plans to add a 3.3-megawatt solar farm that could be generating power by Christmas, if all goes according to plan. The university already has a 2-megawatt solar facility on its Foothills Campus west of Fort Collins that generates about 10 percent of the power needs on... more »

• Power line flap leads Xcel Energy to rethink solar

  May 5, 2010 9:58 AM

  Xcel Energy says it might have to reduce the amount of solar power it planned to buy because approval of a power line to transmit renewable energy has been delayed by a landowner opposed to it. The utility expressed the concerns in a request Tuesday to cancel a hearing on... more »

• Solar farm proposed for Snowmass Village

  May 4, 2010 12:56 PM

  Snowmass Village is considering a proposal from a private company to build a solar farm on 1.5 acres of town-owned land. Clean Energy Collective of Carbondale discussed the plan with the Town Council on Monday. The council asked the town's financial advisory board to review it. The company wants a... more »

• Pueblo Wastewater Treatment Plant going green

  April 16, 2010 5:26 PM

  The Wastewater Treatment Plant in Pueblo is cleaning up its act. Solar panels are being put in, and a greener way to disinfect the wastewater is being proposed. "Were building a solar array to supply electrical energy to defray needs we have here at the treatment plant," says plant director... more »

• Colorado poised to raise renewable energy standard

  March 22, 2010 9:29 AM

  A bill requiring Colorado utilities to use more renewable energy, including smaller-scale solar projects, is on its way to becoming law. Gov. Bill Ritter plans to sign it at a solar installation company based in Denver on Monday. Utilities must now get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources... more »

• New satellite begins sending solar data to Earth

  March 20, 2010 1:36 PM

  A new NASA satellite designed to help predict disruptive solar storms has begun transmitting data to Earth about five weeks after launch. University of Colorado scientists say they began getting information from the Solar Dynamics Observatory on Friday. Controllers have been adjusting the satellite's Earth orbit since the Feb. 11... more »

• Colorado lawmakers approve renewable energy funds

  March 4, 2010 3:08 PM

  A Colorado House committee has approved a bill that would set up programs to allow homeowners to finance renewable energy projects. Rep. Joe Miklosi, D-Denver, says his bill would set up special districts for homeowners who want to install solar, wind, geothermal renewable energy systems or make energy efficiency... more »

• Solar energy with jewel-like curtains on windows

  March 4, 2010 10:00 AM

  A research consortium that pairs a New York college and an international architecture firm wants to turn office windows into solar power generators. The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology has designed facades of grids of clear pyramids help focus the sun's rays to generate energy. It would essentially... more »