Solar Power International 2011 - Colorado's Solar Industry
Stop by booth No. 6201 at Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 17-20, 2011, to meet economic development and cleantech organizations throughout Colorado and learn more about locating your solar energy company in the state.
Solar energy in Colorado
Definition - Colorado's solar industry includes research, development, and manufacturing of technologies used to create energy from the sun, and the deployment (construction and maintenance) of solar technology projects.
Workforce - Colorado ranks fourth out of the 50 states in cleantech employment concentration in 2010, with direct employment of about 19,420 workers.
Major companies - SMA America LLC, Abound Solar, Ascent Solar, juwi Solar, SkyFuel Inc., Abengoa Solar, and Namasté Solar.
Solar industry products and technologies - Colorado's key solar industry areas include photovoltaic (PV) systems, concentrating solar power, passive solar technology, materials manufacturing, and solar leasing.
- Colorado is a natural leader in the solar industry thanks to its nearly 300 days of sun. It is also ranked No. 4 in the United States (2010) with installed solar capacity of 62 megawatts.
- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has classified the southwest Colorado region a high potential solar resource area that could satisfy about half of the state’s peak power demand.
- Xcel Energy, the state’s largest utility, ranks No. 7 nationally for total solar electric capacity.
