Colorado HB10-1342 and Public Utilities Commission rules let Denver residents subscribe to community solar gardens up to 5 MW. Subscribers receive bill credits on Xcel Energy bills without installing panels, with low-income carve-outs under SB19-236.
Colorado was the first state to enact community solar legislation. HB10-1342 (the Community Solar Gardens Act) lets residents and businesses subscribe to a share of an off-site solar array between 0.5 and 5 MW within the same county or an adjacent one. Xcel Energy applies bill credits for the subscriber's share of generation at a Public Utilities Commission-approved rate. SB19-236 expanded the program to 100 MW per utility per year and required a low-income carve-out (currently 5%). Denver renters, condo owners, and shaded-roof homeowners benefit. Developers register with the PUC; Xcel administers crediting. Subscribers may move within Xcel territory keeping their share, and federal IRA bonus credits stack for low-income gardens.
There are no homeowner penalties, but unregistered solar gardens face Colorado PUC enforcement under Title 40. Xcel may withhold credits and PUC fines reach $2,000 per day per violation. Misleading subscription marketing violates Colorado Consumer Protection Act.
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See how Denver's community solar rules stack up against other locations.
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