Commercial buildings account for approximately 20 percent of energy use in the U.S. with leased spaces representing 50 percent of consumption. A team of students at the University of Colorado-Boulder are tackling this issue of C&I energy use and solar opportunities via a capstone project in conjunction with Boulder-based solar company Independent Power Systems.
Specifically, the team is looking into solar financing opportunities for C&I building owners, developers, and tenants—in particular, the Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (CPACE) financing option. The CPACE program was adopted in Colorado in 2016 to promote clean energy and energy-efficient technology installation on C&I buildings. CPACE financing enables the installation of solar and other energy efficiency technologies with no upfront costs to the building owner.
The CU capstone team is assessing barriers to and perceptions of CPACE adoption in Colorado through qualitative and quantitative methods. Initial research indicates most businesses are not fully aware of the benefits of the CPACE program and how it helps to align the costs, energy savings, and incentives in the C&I building sector.
If you are a C&I building owner, developer, or tenant and interested in participating in this research, please take this short seven minute survey. Your survey results will help to guide your community toward a greener future.
For any questions, please contact Raquel Soat at raso1197@colorado.edu.
