Namaste Solar has completed a 333.54-kW rooftop project for Boulder Mod, a modular home factory in Boulder, Colorado. The factory, a partnership between the City of Boulder, Boulder Valley School District and Flatirons Habitat for Humanity, produces energy-efficient, all-electric modular homes that are permanently affordable for low- to middle-income households.
Namaste Solar
By powering the all-electric Boulder Mod factory with solar energy, this project directly supports the city’s comprehensive Climate Action initiatives and reduces operational costs for the facility. Boulder is committed to achieving a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and becoming a net-zero city by 2035. The system is designed to offset the factory’s total expected electricity consumption, ensuring that every dollar saved on energy is reinvested in Boulder’s mission to expand affordable housing.
“This project exemplifies the powerful intersection of renewable energy and community development,” said Jay Sugnet, senior planner for the City of Boulder and project manager for the modular home factory. “By integrating solar energy into Boulder Mod, we’re not only reducing our carbon footprint but also supporting the production of affordable, energy-efficient homes that our community urgently needs.”
The City of Boulder and Namaste Solar have a long-standing partnership in renewable energy initiatives. In 2020, Namaste Solar installed 13 systems across City of Boulder facilities, including parking garages and the water resource facility.
Namaste Solar
The Boulder Mod solar installation was made possible in part through incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act. The introduction of elective pay (also known as direct pay) enables local governments to access tax rebates for clean energy projects, even as non-taxable entities. Through elective pay, combined with additional payments from Xcel Energy’s Solar*Rewards C&I Income-Qualified and Disproportionately Impacted Communities program, Boulder was able to maximize the financial benefits of installing solar at this critical facility. The project received $333,540.00 as a grant from the Energy Impact Offset Fund, an ordinance that requires cannabis cultivators to offset 100% of their energy use.
“Municipalities have more options than ever to leverage solar energy to reduce costs and protect against rising energy expenses,” said Rachel Mountain, Co-owner and Director of Commercial Sales at Namaste Solar. “This project is a shining example of how renewable energy can empower cities to achieve their climate goals while supporting innovative programs like Boulder Mod. It’s a win-win for the community and the environment.”
The homes built at Boulder Mod will not only provide housing stability for community members but will also help to redevelop communities like the Ponderosa Mobile Home Park, which was severely impacted by Boulder’s 2013 flood.
News item from Namaste Solar
“By powering the all-electric Boulder Mod factory with solar energy, this project directly supports the city’s comprehensive Climate Action initiatives and reduces operational costs for the facility.”
Just from the lead in pictures of this site, I see a LOT of property that could be used for an ancillary system of solar PV panels dedicated to capturing the sun during the day and stored in an on site Utility scale BESS, that could be used to power the plant at night, on cloudy days and used for arbitrage and grid services as a secondary revenue stream, even when or if the plant shuts down for say Thanksgiving or Christmas, Easter…..
There is some evidence with superior battery chemistries, a projected Sodium Ion battery used for energy storage seems to have the ability to 10,000 to 50,000 full charge/discharge cycles according to research already done. Let’s one imagine a BESS that can last 27 to over 100 years of daily use. It is still unknown if current technology solar PV cells and panels mass manufactured today will be viable, functioning PV arrays for some 50 + years of useful energy generation. SiC power transistor designs are also allowing (robust) long lasting inverters for personal micro-grids in every home.
Even IF one is in an area that wouldn’t effectively allow solar PV or wind generation, the arbitrage of a Smart BESS could serve the homeowner in energy savings over a (50 year period), that’s a legacy I want to leave to the next generation to inherit the Earth.