Xcel Energy awarded three solar-garden projects — valued at $10 million — to Colorado Springs-based solar developer SunShare on Thursday.
The three solar gardens — with 4.5 megawatts of capacity — are to be built in Denver, Jefferson and Adams counties.
The gardens will sell solar energy to residents in each county, said David Amster-Olszewski, SunShare’s president.
SunShare is offering 20-year agreements for solar energy fixed at current prices, Amster-Olszewski said. The contracts are paid upfront — starting at $3,000.
Under its solar-garden program, Xcel has awarded 25 projects — with a total of 18 megawatts of electricity generation.
A megawatt of solar can power an average of 164 homes, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.
SunShare is one of the state’s largest developers of solar gardens, and its 10
projects are valued at about $40 million, Amster-Olszewski said. The three new projects account for $10 million of the total, he said.
