Colorado Jewish community center meets power needs with Namaste Solar project

The Boulder Jewish Community Center has completed a rooftop solar installation at its LEED-certified campus in Colorado, offsetting 80% of its electricity consumption.

The 306-kWDC solar project, completed in late 2025, was developed in partnership with Namaste Solar, an employee-owned cooperative. The 614-panel system joins an existing 67-kW rooftop array.

This solar milestone was made possible by a collaborative funding effort. A $523,143 grant from Boulder’s Community Culture, Resilience and Safety Tax Program set the project in motion. Additional support came from Boulder County’s PACE program, Xcel Energy’s Solar Rewards, a loan from the Adamah Climate Action Fund and gifts from community donors. With this funding and anticipated federal IRA incentives, the project’s cost was largely covered, reducing financial barriers for the nonprofit Boulder JCC.

In addition to the environmental benefits, the solar investment is reduce approximately $1.8 million in total lifetime savings.

“Sustainability is woven into the fabric of the Boulder JCC,” said Executive Director Jonathan Lev. “This solar project allows us to lead by example, educating our community while ensuring that our operational savings go directly toward our mission-driven programming.”

Thirty-one Namaste Solar employees, from designers and engineers to project managers and installers, contributed to the project.

“We selected Namaste Solar because they’ve been doing this work for decades,” Lev said. “They started right here in Boulder, they are employee-owned and they have built a reputation rooted in high-quality work and conscientious business practices.”

Boulder JCC’s main building is LEED certified, and the Milk and Honey Farm operates as a net-zero facility, with 100% of its energy needs met through on-site renewable generation.

“Our goal has always been to offset as much of our energy use as possible by fully utilizing our available roof space,” said Becca Gan Levy, farm and sustainability director. “Decarbonizing the grid is a critical priority, and this project achieves that while significantly lowering our operating expenses. Ultimately, these savings allow us to direct more resources into education, food access, and community-building, modeling what climate responsibility looks like in practice.”

In addition to installing the new system, the Boulder JCC has signed a five-year operations and maintenance agreement with Namaste Solar covering both the new array and its existing solar installation to ensure long-term performance and reliability.

“Working with an organization like the Boulder JCC is exactly why Namaste Solar exists,” said Alicia Creighton, co-owner and commercial project developer at Namaste Solar. “As a Certified B Corporation, supporting a mission-driven non-profit that prioritizes sustainability, aligns perfectly with our values.”

News item from Namaste Solar