Louisville, CO, July 6 2010 – Colorado State University’s recently completed solar energy system provides clean energy for the campus and shade for students, faculty and visitors parking at the Lake Street Parking Garage. The 132.5 Kilowatt solar electric system is the fourth project between Colorado State University and local solar energy provider, Bella Energy.

“Colorado State University has been committed to energy conservation on campus for many, many years,” said Carol Dollard, energy engineer for Colorado State University. “This solar project is one of the many tools in our toolbox and it’s an important piece of the joint efforts with the City and Colorado State to make the downtown area – including the main CSU campus – a net zero-energy district.”

“Bella Energy is extremely proud of our work with Colorado State University,” said Jim Welch, CEO of Bella Energy. “The company was founded in Fort Collins so it is always nice to do work in our hometown. Projects like these are a critical element of our ongoing growth as a company. This year Bella Energy slated to install over two Megawatts of solar energy systems, which is twice the business we did last year.”

Every so often we like to post interesting tid bits from the world of renewable energy to our twitter page. Here are a few of the more interesting stories of the past month in case you missed it. Enjoy!

• FabLab House: Solar Decathlon Europe Entry | Inhabitat http://bit.ly/aD80Ph
• Timelapse Coal Fired Power on Vimeo http://bit.ly/aLj4Nn
• DIY Hyper Modified Honda Motorcycle hits 214MPG http://bit.ly/bayfIA
• The First American Sportbike to go All Electric | Inhabitat http://bit.ly/bdwrFd
• Colorado May Consider ‘Community Solar Gardens’ Law | ecopolitology http://bit.ly/4PIW7g

What should I look for in a solar company? from Bella Energy on Vimeo.

Transcript for: Ask a Solar Expert: What should I look for in a solar company?

There are a number of factors that differentiate various companies as a quality solar company. Before there were incentives around that came through with Amendment 37 in late 2004, there were only about 6 companies that did exclusively photovoltaic systems in the state of Colorado. Now there is over 220, last I counted, last I checked with the COSEIA website. And so to know that your company will be around long enough to honor it’s 10 year or 5 year parts and labor guarantee is a very valuable piece of mind.

We’ve had an influx of companies from other states, we’ve also had a number of contractors that used to do something else now they’re doing solar. Solar isn’t rocket science by any means, but it is something that when it comes to technical trouble shooting you’ll be very glad you have a company that knows what they are doing. Part of that is a certification, NABCEP which stands for North American Board Certified Energy Practitioner. It is an absolute “bear” of an exam, it is an installation exam that takes quite a bit of qualifications in order to achieve that status. I myself have NABCEP certification as do 7 others in Bella Energy, and it says that we know what we are doing. Now, I’m not an installer, I’m in sales and I believe it really benefits me in my sales because I know exactly the bits and pieces that come together to make a system work.

Having a Colorado company means that we have roots here that extend beyond solar. We’ve got roots because we live here and are from here. We’re not from somewhere else and will possibly pull up tent stakes if incentives go away and the market shrinks. Having a company with over 29 to 30 years experience working exclusively with solar in the State of Colorado, having the first grid tied system and the first commercial system in the State of Colorado I think really differentiates Bella Energy as a leader and a company that should be considered.

In summary, of what to look for in a company for solar. I would say that having the proper certifications including COSEIA, the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association certification is an absolute minimum. NABCEP certification, North America Board Certified Energy Practitioner is a little bit above and beyond but should be considered in that does your selected solar company have at least one person that is NABCEP or COSEIA certified? That they are a Colorado company, if that’s important to you. If they appear to be a company that will be around here in your area, IE the Denver, Boulder, Metro Area in 10 year’s time to honor their warranty, that is of huge value. Obviously price is a concern for most people. You don’t have to be the lowest price, but you do have to be in the “right” range in comparison to other bids. And of course buying and using products that are made in America. It’s becoming more and more of a catchword. We use products that are made in America form the panels to the racking to the inverters, and we have bits, pieces and parts from all over the world but the majority of what we use is made in the United States, assembled, manufactured in the United States. So if those are important things to you, make sure you have them on your selection criteria for a quality solar company.

Bella Energy staff were on hand to answer questions about investing in solar energy for homes and businesses. We met a lot of great people and had a wonderful time seeing all the great sustainable products and services on display.

Join us in Boulder Saturday, September, 26th for the Boulder County Solar Homes Tour presented by the Center for Resource Conservation. The tour is a great opportunity to see the investments families around Boulder County have made in renewable energy for their homes.

As one of the leading sustainable universities in the nation, Colorado State University (CSU) is committed to utilizing renewable energy to power their operations and reduce operating costs. In June of 2009, Bella Energy completed a prominent solar array on the Engineering Building of CSU’s Fort Collins campus.

The new solar energy system was installed to provide students, faculty and visitors with an eye-catching view of renewable energy in action, and to reduce CSU’s environmental footprint. The system can be seen from the central campus plaza and is positioned near the Lory Student Center. Funding for the project was provided in part through a grant from the Governor’s Energy Office.

The design called for a highly technical installation, utilizing a custom racking system that was craned into position during installation. Funding requirements and campus activities required a timely installation, so as not to disturb students. However, the Bella Energy team rose to the challenge and completed the complex and beautiful installation in only five days.

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Bella Energy’s resulting 18.9 kW solar energy system provides over 25,000 kWh of clean energy per year, and will reduce the annual carbon footprint of the Engineering Building by over 51,000 lbs of CO2. CSU’s new solar system provides an aesthetically pleasing and highly visual integration of solar energy into the CSU campus environment. The visibility of the design also helps demonstrate their commitment to renewable and sustainable energy, while providing a learning experience for the students.

What are the different types of solar? from Bella Energy on Vimeo.

Ask a Solar Expert is an online video series devoted to answering your questions about solar energy. Each week we select a user based question to answer online in our video series. If you have a solar question you would like answered click here to Ask a Solar Expert…