Colorado

Solar Legislator Score: *****
In 2004, Colorado clean energy advocates were the first in the country to ask voters to pass a ballot initiative creating a state-wide renewable energy portfolio standard. The RPS required 0.4% of the state’s power to come from solar by 2015. The vote succeeded. While four tenths of a percent may not sound like a whole lot, this legislation was a groundbreaking victory.
Amendment 37 set the stage for sweeping changes to solar regulations in Colorado. Since the vote, state advocates successfully increased the net metering limit to 2 MW (equal to the country’s best standard established in New Jersey). The interconnection process has also been streamlined for systems up to 2 MW. As a result of Amendment 37, Xcel Energy has established a huge residential solar rebate program and will soon begin its commercial solar program. The rebate you can take advantage of right now as a homeowner is $4.50/watt. The average cost per watt installed in Colorado is about $9.00, so you’re lined up to save about 50% off the cost of your system with this rebate.
The state of Colorado enacted legislation (SB 145) authorizing counties and municipalities to offer property and sales tax rebates or credits to home and business owners who install renewable energy systems.
Eligible renewable energy property is defined as “any fixture, product, system, device or interacting group of devices that produce electricity from renewable resources, including, but not limited to, photovoltaic systems, solar thermal systems, small wind systems, biomass systems, or geothermal systems.”
The program is administered at the local level by individual cities and counties. You need to contact the cities or counties where your property is located to see if a tax rebate or credit is or will be established in your community.

Business Energy Grants
Holy Cross Energy, a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, has developed a voluntary carbon reduction strategy designed to slow the growth of carbon dioxide emissions created in the generation of electricity. It offers its industrial and commercial members an energy efficiency grant which can pay for up to half the cost of a professional, engineering grade energy use evaluation of your business’ facilities, or up to half the cost of actual labor, equipment and/or material costs to install energy saving measures identified in an energy evaluation.

http://www.solarpowerrocks.com/colorado/