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Board paves way for solar power
By Lou Christopher
achris25@mscd.edu

A recent proposal to bring solar energy panels to the roofs of three Metro buildings was passed in December by the Auraria board of directors. Specific contract negotiations for the proposal are currently underway.

The project was a student initiative largely led by the Colorado Public Interest Research Group. It was brought to campus in part by Xcel Energy and 3 Phases Energy Services and will be the fifth largest solar initiative on a college campus in United States, said Jack Wylie, Student Government Assembly president. Wylie said the other four campus projects were in California.

Under the proposed contract, 3 Phases Energy Services would maintain ownership of the panels, but Metro would use all the energy they supplied. Wylie said the panels would provide 3 percent of Metro’s energy. The project would also have potential for expansion, he said.

Larry Lopez, chair of the Auraria board of directors, said that due to time restrictions set forth by Amendment 37 – which states that 10 percent of electricity used in Colorado must come from renewable energy by 2015 – the negotiations would be concluded soon.