Carport Will Also Generate Power For CU

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - A new carport at the University of Colorado will generate solar power for the Boulder campus while also shading cars from the sun.

The Daily Camera reports that solar panels on the carport's roof should produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 20 single-family homes for a year.

The project is being financed by a third party that can take advantage of renewable energy incentives. CU-Boulder sustainability director Moe Tabrizi says that for seven years, CU will buy power generated from the carport from the financing company for about the same price it is paying Xcel Energy for electricity now.

Tabrizi says that after that, CU expects to get free power, plus a renewable energy incentive from Xcel of roughly $25,000 to $30,000 per year.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)