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From YouTube: Inside Boulder - Solar Panel Ribbon Cutting
Description
City of Boulder Solar Panel Ribbon Cutting
A
Welcome
everyone
to
this
beautiful
day
in
Boulder,
we're
here
to
celebrate
the
installation
of
the
one
megawatt
solar
photovoltaic
system
behind
me
and
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
our
city's
commitment
to
walking
the
talk
when
it
comes
to
reducing
our
demand
on
the
grid
and
making
environmentally
smart
and
fiscally
sound
improvements
in
our
facilities.
The
panel's
you
see
today
have
been
live
since
July
and
are
expected
to
provide
fifteen
to
twenty
percent
of
the
boulder
wastewater
treatment
plants
power
each
year
on
a
bright
day
like
today.
A
They
can
do
even
more
fulfilling
more
than
fifty
percent
of
the
plants
energy
needs.
Their
use
will
ultimately
save
city
taxpayers
an
estimated
forty
three
thousand
dollars
a
year.
The
project
is
the
result
of
a
dedicated
collaboration
among
city
staff
members,
local
government
and
private
partners
and
I'll
recognize
them
shortly,
but
first
I
wanted
to
talk
about
what
this
effort
represents
in
a
broader
context.
A
As
you
know,
our
community
is
a
recognized
leader
in
sustainability,
both
on
the
demand
side
and
the
supply
side,
and
our
residents
have
entrusted
City
Council
with
the
responsibility
of
implementing
policies,
programs
and
technologies
that
help
us
meet
our
shared
community
goals.
We
are
doing
this
in
a
number
of
ways:
I'm
excited,
for
example,
to
tell
you
about
the
city's
power
down
challenge.
During
the
month
of
October,
the
city
manager
has
asked
employees
to
shut
down
their
computers
at
the
end
of
the
day
to
help
offset
our
impact
on
the
environment.
A
I
know
that
many
of
our
residents
are
taking
these
kinds
of
steps
in
their
own
homes
and
I
would
encourage
those
who
aren't
to
consider
moving
beyond
light
switches
to
other
electronics
and
entertainment
equipment.
In
addition,
on
Tuesday
night,
my
fellow
City
Council
members
and
I
will
be
learning
more
about
the
next
phase
of
an
extensive
energy
efficiency
project
that
will
reduce
consumption
in
66
buildings
owned
by
the
city
of
Boulder.
A
This
initiative
is
the
result
of
a
12
million
dollar
energy
performance
contract
and
part
ship
with
the
governor's
energy
office
through
a
lease
agreement
with
a
contractor.
The
city
is
able
to
make
energy
efficiency
upgrades
that
are
paid
for
overtime
with
the
savings
from
decreased
utility
bills,
so
that
the
city,
the
city,
can
immediately
lower
its
energy
consumption
and
use
the
five
hundred
thousand
dollars
a
year
that
is
saved
on
utility
bills
to
go
to
paying
off
the
lease.
A
This
means
there
is
no
impact
on
the
city's
budget
and
the
city
will
own
the
equipment
in
13
to
15
years.
In
addition,
the
city
is
expected
to
reap
the
benefits
of
lower
maintenance
costs.
This
is
a
win-win
for
the
city,
for
our
city
residents
and
for
the
environment
phase.
One
upgrades
are
already
underway
and
you
may
have
noticed
them
at
our
recreation,
centers
and
libraries
phase
two
will
be
completed
by
mid
year
2011.
A
Some
of
the
many
wonderful
upgrades
include
solar
thermal
systems
to
help
heat
our
pools
at
east
boulder
community
center
and
the
south
boulder
recreation
center.
The
construction
of
additional
photovoltaic
panels,
similar
to
those
were
celebrating
today,
lighting
and
hvac
upgrades
and
weatherization
efforts
in
all
the
work
done
as
part
of
this
energy
performance
contract
will
reduce
carbon
emissions
from
city
facilities
by
nearly
6,000
metric
tons
of
carbon
dioxide
per
year,
starting
in
2011.
This
represents
an
eighteen
percent
overall
reduction
in
co2
emissions
from
our
city
operations.
A
These
are
unique
times
that
present
unique
opportunities,
and
here
in
Boulder
we
are
doing
all
we
can
to
capture
the
possibilities.
There
are
so
many
people
who
are
playing
a
role
in
these
collective
efforts,
and
many
of
them
are
with
us
today.
I
thank
each
and
every
one
of
you,
since
this
event
is
here
by
these
fabulous
solar
panels,
I'd
like
to
especially
acknowledge
a
few
individuals
who
helped
to
make
this
particular
project
a
success.
If
you're
here,
you
might
just
identify
yourself,
I,
don't
know
how
this
will
work.