Solar: Building on Sustainability in Fort Collins
Founded as a military outpost in 1864, Fort Collins, Colorado, is now a university town with a thriving music scene, beer culture, and festival circuit. About 153,000 people live in Fort Collins, which can be found due North of Denver in Larimer County, where it is a sister city to Loveland. Located at the base of the Rocky Mountains, Fort Collins offers countless recreational opportunities, especially with the 300 days of sunshine the city averages each year.
Forbes named Fort Collins the fourth Happiest City in America in 2017, recognizing the valuable work the city does to ensure its residents enjoy satisfying lifestyles.
Forging Ahead with Renewable Energy Opportunities
Fort Collins maintains its own electrical utility. This gives it more flexibility than municipalities with private companies running their utilities and thus Fort Collins offers some of the lowest electrical power rates in the country.
Fort Collins offers rebates for residential and commercial solar power systems, including special projects that aim to show how community solar power can reduce energy costs for low-income customers, who spend the highest percentage of their income on utility bills. Fort Collins can continue to show its self-reliance by choosing solar lighting for its streets and parks, helping reduce municipal bills for taxpayers even further.
This sustainable-minded city was one of the first in the United States to offer green energy to customers. And it didn’t stop there: FortZED is a zero-energy district in the downtown area, a project led by the City of Fort Collins, Colorado State University, and Colorado Clean Energy Cluster businesses. The goal is to prototype innovative ideas in energy creation and efficiency that can be used locally, and then be reproduced in other communities around the world.
Fort Collins is already taking strides toward a greener future. Choosing a reliable solar street lighting system can help ensure these strides continue.
Watch our video on commercial solar lighting in Colorado
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