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Brian Lindoerfer, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, CU Boulder; Cara Carmichael, Associate Vice Chancellor for Sustainability, CU Boulder; Chris Ewing, Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Resilience, CU Boulder; Matt Brenn, Director, Community Solar Subscriptions, Pivot Energy; Mat Elmore, Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts, Pivot Energy; Isaiah Grayck, Project Manager, Pivot Energy
Brian Lindoerfer, Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management, CU Boulder; Cara Carmichael, Associate Vice Chancellor for Sustainability, CU Boulder; Chris Ewing, Vice Chancellor for Infrastructure and Resilience, CU Boulder; Matt Brenn, Director, Community Solar Subscriptions, Pivot Energy; Mat Elmore, Senior Vice President, Strategic Accounts, Pivot Energy; Isaiah Grayck, Project Manager, Pivot Energy
Pivot Energy, CU Boulder launch 5 MW solar project
ColoradoBiz Staff //August 14, 2025//
BOULDER, Colo. — Pivot Energy and the University of Colorado Boulder have broken ground on a 5-megawatt virtual net metering solar project in Weld County to help the university meet its decarbonization goals.
In Brief:
- Pivot Energy, CU Boulder break ground on 5 MW solar project
- Project to supply clean energy and renewable energy credits
- Supports CU Boulder’s 2030 emissions and 2050 neutrality goals
- Includes agrivoltaics with sheep grazing for vegetation control
The off-site project, which began construction Aug. 5, is part of a partnership announced in July 2024 and is expected to be completed in early 2026. Pivot Energy will develop, own and operate the array, which will support CU Boulder’s Climate Action Plan and broader clean energy targets.
Under a 20-year subscription agreement, CU Boulder will participate in a virtual net metering program established by Colorado Senate Bill 21-261 in 2021. The arrangement allows the university to subscribe to energy produced off-site, receive credits on its electricity bills and claim all renewable energy credits generated by the project. The solar array will help the university offset electricity usage, cut Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The initiative is designed to be cost neutral.
“This partnership with Pivot Energy is a powerful example of how CU Boulder is leading with purpose,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “We are building sustainability into the fabric of our operations in ways that are both financially responsible and environmentally impactful.”
Once complete, the project is expected to generate about 9.5 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power more than 850 homes or remove 1,580 passenger cars from the road for a year. The site will feature roughly 8,000 solar panels spanning the equivalent of four football fields.
The project will also integrate agrivoltaics, with about 100 sheep grazing the site from April through October to manage vegetation. A local rancher will gain additional grazing land, providing a diversified revenue stream for farm operations.
“Pivot Energy is proud to partner with the University of Colorado Boulder on this project and excited to start construction,” said Mat Elmore, senior vice president of strategic accounts at Pivot Energy. “This is a win-win for both Colorado’s largest university and Pivot, helping CU Boulder reach its renewable energy goals and Pivot accelerate the shift to solar energy nationwide.”
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