Renewable energy is a burgeoning industry within the state of Colorado. The world faces a finite supply of fossil fuels and in response to a dramatic shift in federal policies, programs and budget priorities, Colorado is emerging as a leader in many areas of renewable energy including solar, wind, bio-fuels, hydropower, geothermal, and biomass technologies.

Colorado ranks fourth in the nation for its 2008 concentration of renewable energy and energy research employment (16,610). The 2007 average salary for a renewable energy and energy research worker is $76,110 ($66,840 nationwide).

Colorado has approximately 16,610 private-sector renewable energy and energy research workers in nearly 1,510 companies. In fact, renewable energy employment grew 11.5 percent in the state from 2007 to 2008; the national growth for the same period was 2.3 percent.

Solar Technology Acceleration Center - SolarTAC
The Solar Technology Acceleration Center (SolarTAC) in Aurora is the first shared solar technology center of its kind in North America, occupying 74-acres at the 1,762-acre Aurora Campus for Renewable Energy. It is an integrated, world-class test facility where the solar industry can research, test, validate, and demonstrate solar technologies. Its mission is to increase the efficiency of solar energy products and rapidly deploy them to the commercial market. SolarTAC is a partnership of the Colorado Renewable Energy Collaboratory, the city of Aurora, Xcel Energy, Abengoa Solar, SunEdison, and Midwest Research Institute (MRI). SolarTAC will provide a solar facility where member companies can bring their technologies for testing and demonstration, particularly solar technologies at the early commercial or near-commercial stage of development. SolarTAC will also help promote better interface between technology developers and solar energy users by offering solar equipment suppliers an opportunity to show potential customers new technologies performing under actual field conditions.

SolarTAC is divided into three areas including Common Areas, Solar Thermal Area (solar to heat technology) and Photovoltaics Area (solar to electricity technology) and conisist of three areas of research: proprietary, shared among members and public.

The initial phase will be developed over the next three years and includes an Abengoa Solar facility (on five acres in the Solar Thermal Area) and a SunEdison facility (on five acres in the Photovoltaics Area) that are targeting to begin constructing late summer 2009 for testing of proprietary components. Xcel Energy will be permanently relocating the Award Winning CU Solar Decathlon exhibit to the site to serve as a visitors’ center and solar exhibit in the near future. MRI is actively recruiting additional companies to participate and invest at the site.