SOLAR-POWERED CARPORTS

Independent Power, in partnership with SunPower, Centennial Sunrise Harvest, LLC, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the City of Centennial, recently completed a 253.8 kilowatt (kW) solar carport system at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Centennial, Colorado. The solar carport — only the second such carport in Centennial, features more than 540 high-efficiency SunPower solar panels in the system are expected to produce more than 400,950 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy during the first year, and 11.6 million kWh over its projected 30-year lifespan. This system is expected to offset more than 12,700 tons of CO2 emissions over the next two decades. (That’s roughly the equivalent of emissions from burning 29,000 barrels of oil.)

The project also includes the installation of high-efficiency LED lighting to further reduce the annual energy use load by 79,000 kWh. This will allow the solar project to produce 85 percent of the building’s energy needs. These lights are approved by the International Dark Sky Association.

This project created nearly 30 jobs, including installation and construction. The economics that made this project possible were provided by private investment capital from Centennial Sunrise Harvest, LLC, renewable energy credits (RECs) from Xcel Energy, and federal tax credits.

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services solar carport was officially unveiled at a ribbon-cutting event featuring Centennial Mayor Stephanie Piko, Kathleen Staks, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, and other business and civic leaders.

Read the Press Release on the Centennial solar carport system.