In recent Clarion issues, we’ve discussed some of the groundbreaking state policy wins happening right here in Colorado for the clean energy economy. This month, we’re going to celebrate some of the local level transformations taking place — and what they mean for climate pollution reduction, jobs, and new opportunities. None of these would be possible without the local leadership of Alliance members and the staff capacity our members and funders make possible. Congrats on the harvest of all your years of hard work and kind support!

This week, rural electric co-op DMEA announced that it saved members $2.7M in 2020 after successfully exiting its long term contract with supplier Tri-State, whose costly rates and coal-heavy portfolio weren’t changing fast enough for DMEA’s liking. The shift to new supplier Guzman energy allowed DMEA to secure its strongest financial position in seven years despite the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, DMEA is working with Guzman energy to bring a massive solar installation – one large enough to supply 18,000 homes — to a site just south of Delta. The Garnet Mesa Solar Project is expected to create 350 to 400 installation jobs and millions in property taxes for local communities.

DMEA’s trailblazing cost-savings, local generation and jobs, and increased supply resiliency may soon inspire solar-skeptical neighboring cooperatives to follow suit.

After years of local organizing from Western Colorado Alliance of Mesa County and a broad coalition including the local Cleantech Business Roundtable, the Mesa County Board of Commissioners recently approved a CPACE financing program for Mesa County residents.

CPACE — or Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy — will now provide local commercial property owners with a powerful financing mechanism for new clean energy, energy efficiency, and agricultural energy and water efficiency investments. CPACE financing allows building and property owners to access the cost savings of new clean technologies — including rooftop solar at cheaper rates than the grid — without paying the large upfront costs all at once. Loans are made by local lenders like Alpine Bank and processed by the county.

With this ruling, Mesa County joins neighboring counties like Garfield and Delta, where large building owners have already taken advantage of Colorado’s CPACE program.

Like Delta-Montrose Electric, Holy Cross Energy is a rural electric cooperative. Holy Cross serves the most diverse geography of any Colorado electric co-op, stretching from Battlement Mesa in the far West through Parachute and Rifle to the mountain communities of Vail, Carbondale, and Aspen. Holy Cross has adopted a region-leading plan to reach 100% renewables supply by 2030 — a pledge made all the more remarkable given the broad mix of deeply conservative and deeply liberal communities it serves.

Recently, Holy Cross announced that it had crossed 50% renewables supply for the first time and is set to reach 70% within two or so years. What’s more, Holy Cross has saved over $16M so far in this switch to advanced technologies, allowing it to return $4.5M directly to ratepayer pockets, invest over $3M in wildfire and grid resiliency, and plan new investments in electric vehicles infrastructure and battery storage.