State incentive programs drove the Colorado PV market to more than double in 2010, resulting in the installation of 53.6 megawatts of capacity.
The state market maintained a relatively even split, with 18.7 megawatts of installed capacity from residential, 15.9 megawatts from non-residential, and 19.1 megawatts from utility. Installations in the residential sector were mainly driven by the allowance of third-party-owned systems and incentives from the Governor’s Energy Office rebate program. In the utility sector, SunPower’s 19-megawatt Greater Sandhill project was completed in Alamosa County, becoming the largest solar energy project in the state.
The next few years will see additional large-scale utility projects coming online in the state. SunPower’s San Luis Valley Solar Ranch, a 30-megawatt photovoltaic installation, and Cogentrix’s Alamosa Solar, a 30-megawatt concentrating PV project, are both currently under construction and expected to come online in 2012.
Read more: Solar State of the Week: Colorado via Greentechmedia.com