Power FAQs

Please email your questions about household or commercial energy use and sustainable transportation to comments@bouldercolorado.gov.

Q: What is the 2008 Boulder County Wind Challenge?

Q: If I sign my home or business up for wind power, does my electricity actually come directly from a wind turbine into my building?

A: The energy you purchase through wind power is fed into the electricity grid and becomes a part of the mix of electricity flowing to your home or business. It is impossible to confirm the actual percentage of energy derived from the wind turbines, however all wind energy added to the grid displaces the coal or natural gas-derived electricity that would previously have been transmitted to your building.

Q: Why should I join the Boulder County Wind Challenge?

A: By joining, you will become part of the solution to global climate change. The city of Boulder and Boulder County are working hard to help residents and businesses find ways to reduce their carbon footprints (the amount of energy they are responsible for using in households, offices, and from transportation). The Wind Challenge is an easy, affordable, tangible way for you to participate in this effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If you offset your home electricity use 100% with wind power, you can reduce your home energy carbon footprint from 40 to 60 percent.

Q: How does signing up for wind power reduce my environmental impact?

A: The energy used in our homes and businesses is generated from a number of sources including coal, natural gas, wind, and solar. Electricity produced from renewable energy sources such as wind or solar has positive environmental benefits as it does not generate greenhouse gases, air pollution or water pollution. Renewable energy providers (such as wind farms) sell the electricity they generate to utilities and sell Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) to consumers. These RECs represent the environmental benefits of the renewable energy that is produced. Generating and adding renewable energy to the electricity grid decreases the need to build new coal or natural gas power plants.

Q: How do I sign up?

A: Visit www.beClimateSmart.com/windchallenge for details on all five wind providers. If you have questions for the city's ClimateSmart team about this initiative, please call 303-441-1847.

Q: Several of my neighbors have installed "solar electric" panels on their roofs. Is this different from regular solar panels and how long would it take recoup my upfront costs? Are there tax rebates or was that just a Jimmy Carter thing?

A: Solar electric panels are solar panels that produce electricity from the sun. They are the most prevalent solar option these days and are also referred to as Solar PV (solar photovoltaic) panels. Another kind of panel that you might have seen is solar thermal. These provide energy to heat your water which eliminates the need for a hot water heater. For residential solar systems, it will generally take around 10-12 years to payback your installation costs, depending on the size of the system. However, steadily increasing energy prices would reduce this. There are numerous incentives for solar right now. Xcel Energy currently rebates half of the cost of the system and there is also a federal tax credit. Visit www.coseia.org for a list of local solar contractors who provide free quotations for cost and payback time.

Q: Is it possible to run a hot tub on solar power?

A: Yes, it is possible to run a hot tub on solar power. There are kits available at store.altenergystore.com, www.abcsolar.com/solarpool.html, and www.solarhottub.com.

Q: Besides the North Boulder Recreation Center, is the city of Boulder planning to install more solar at other government buildings, such as the County courthouse, library, Public Works, Fleet building on old Pearl, Water Treatment Plants and so on?

A: Yes. Boulder County invested in solar panels on the County courthouse. The city of Boulder will fund the installation of solar panels on the George Reynolds Branch library and at the 75th Street Wastewater Treatment facility. We are also issuing an RFP to local solar companies to determine the feasibility of solar on all city buildings.

Q: Is there a way the city of Boulder could put windmills or wind farms on some of our open space?

A: Unfortunately, Boulder is not a great site for large scale wind generation because it is not consistently windy here.

Q: I sometimes drive by wind farms where some of the windmills are spinning and others are not. This seems like lost opportunity. Is there a reason why windmills would be stopped?

A: Wind turbines require a lot of maintenance, so a stopped turbine might be due to a maintenance event. They also sometimes break due to wear and tear of the gear boxes, causing a turbine to stop spinning. Another reason is that the wind farm might be limited to the amount of energy they can provide so as a result they control the amount of energy produced, like a coal or gas plant might do.

Q: If I purchase wind power from Xcel Energy or another local retailer for the Boulder Wind Challenge, my electricity is theoretically already coming from a renewable source. Does it still make eco-sense to consider solar panels on our house?

A: Absolutely. Purchasing wind power is a way to offset the energy that you aren't able to generate on your own with solar. Using solar panels on your house ensures that you will receive clean, renewable power for as long as the panels are in operation. You are also demonstrating to your neighbors and guests how it works and can encourage others to investigate the benefits of solar power.