Pivot Energy, a national renewable energy independent power producer, and the University of Colorado Boulder, officially broke ground on a 5-MWDC virtual net metering solar project in Weld County, Colorado last week.
Brian Lindoerfer, associate vice chancellor for facilities management, CU Boulder; Cara Carmichael, associate vice chancellor for sustainability, CU Boulder; Chris Ewing, vice chancellor for infrastructure and resilience, CU Boulder; Matt Brenn, director, community solar subscriptions, Pivot Energy; Mat Elmore, senior vice president, strategic accounts, Pivot Energy; Isaiah Grayck, project manager, Pivot Energy
The milestone marks the next phase in a partnership first announced in July 2024, and supports the university’s broader clean energy goals while advancing its Climate Action Plan. Pivot Energy will develop, own and operate the off-site project, which is expected to be completed in early 2026.
Under a 20-year subscription agreement, CU-Boulder will benefit from a virtual net metering program established by Colorado Senate Bill 21-261 in 2021, which lets the university subscribe to energy produced off-site and receive credits on its electricity bills along with 100% of the project’s renewable energy credits. The solar array will also offset CU-Boulder’s electricity usage and advance its Scope 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions goals (50% by 2030) and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The initiative is cost neutral.
“This partnership with Pivot Energy is a powerful example of how CU-Boulder is leading with purpose,” said CU-Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz. “We’re not just talking about sustainability – we’re building it into the fabric of our operations in ways that are both financially responsible and environmentally impactful.”
Once complete, the project is expected to produce approximately 9.5 million kWh of solar energy annually. Laid end-to-end, the project’s approximate 8,000 solar panels are enough to fill four football fields. Additionally, agrivoltaics will be integrated into this project. A flock of approximately 100 sheep will provide “lamb-scaping” services on site to manage the vegetation from April through October each year. A local rancher will provide additional grazing land at the project site.
“Pivot Energy is proud to partner with the University of Colorado Boulder on this project and excited to start construction,” said Mat Elmore, senior VP of strategic accounts at Pivot Energy. “This is a win-win for both Colorado’s largest university and Pivot — helping CU-Boulder reach its renewable energy goals and Pivot accelerate the shift to solar energy throughout the nation.”
News item from Pivot Energy