The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Rocky Mountain Region formally dedicated the Denver Federal Center's (DFC) $6.9 million solar park June 26. The park was completed in January 2008 and will produce 10 percent of the DFC's peak electrical energy demand, power equivalent to that used by 145 homes over the course of a year.

As part of the ceremony, Xcel Energy of Coloradopresented GSA, on behalf of American taxpayers, with a check in the amount of $200,000 for the purchase of Solar Renewable Energy Credits. Speakers included Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter Jr., GSA Acting Administrator David Bibb, Dr. Dan Arvizu, Director, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Mr. Fred Stoffel, Vice President of Marketing for Xcel Energy, and GSA Rocky Mountain Regional Administrator Leslie Plomondon.

"This project is a win-win for the community, the state and the nation," Bibb said. "When feasible, solar power is a wonderful option because it does not produce any air pollution, hazardous waste or noise pollution."

Plomondon added, "The solar park is a perfect example of how the federal government is collaborating with its industry partners in embracing green technology. The project promotes Administration efforts to use clean, renewable energy."

In 2007, the Colorado State Legislature increased the state's Renewable Energy Standard requiring investor owned utilities to generate 20 percent of their retail electricity sales from renewable resources by the year 2020. Xcel Energy offers businesses and residential customers rebates and payments for renewable energy credits associated with qualifying solar power installations in Colorado. The company solicited projects to participate in its Solar*Rewards program, which provides incentives for installing renewable energy sources.

The Solar Park is composed of 6,192 individual photovoltaic solar panels. Each panel is rated at 190 watts and utilizes polycrystalline silicon. The park produces 1.6 million kilowatts of energy each year. Due to this energy output, 1,244 metric tons of CO2 are not emitted into the atmosphere, and 6.5 railcars of coal are not burned each day.

The DFC is owned and managed by GSA. Located on a one square mile campus, it currently supports over 6,000 employees from more than 25 federal agencies and bureaus. The Center's vision is to be the most sustainable campus in the country by 2020. Visit www.gsa.gov/r8dfc to learn more about the Center's green practices.