Alpine Bank

Community Solar Garden Update After studying the evolution of community solar gardens (CSGs) since 2010, Alpine Bank's Green Team decided to deepen its commitment to green electricity by embracing CSGs wherever practical within the bank's footprint. As an EPA Green Power Partner participating at the 100 percent green electricity level since 2009, CSGs oer Alpine Bank the opportunity to bring generation of green electricity back home to our local communities. CSG developers oer dierent operating and subscription models. One approach is direct purchase of photovoltaic (PV) panels congured within the CSG as pioneered by the Clean Energy Collective (CEC). Another approach is to oer a long-term subscription agreement for a mutually agreed upon percentage of the output generated from the CSG without requiring direct ownership of the PV panels. Alpine Bank embraces both models as it seeks to meet its objective of ensuring that approximately 50 percent of the electricity it consumes is oset by investments in, or subscription agreements with, CSGs where they exist within the service territories of the utilities that provide electricity to the 38 Alpine Bank locations. Alpine Bank began working with CEC in 2013 to purchase solar panels in CSGs operating in the Holy Cross Energy and San Miguel Power Association service areas. Since these initial investments, Alpine Bank has purchased 80 solar panels for $67,680 in a CEC CSG in the Xcel Energy Summit County service area. This purchase has oset the Breckenridge branch's total energy usage by 80 percent. In January 2015, Alpine Bank closed on an additional CSG purchase – this time investing in a CEC developed CSG within the Yampa Valley Electric Association service territory. The $118,682 purchase of 152 panels is estimated to provide 1.2 million in kWh and electric bill savings in excess of $159,000 over 20 years. Last fall in Mesa County, Alpine Bank embraced the CSG subscriber model and contracted for 5 percent of the electricity generated by a CSG pioneered by Mesa County Valley School District 51 and developed by Ecoplexus in Xcel's service territory for the next 20 years. With 6,666 solar panels spread across 10 acres of land, the solar array located in Mesa County's Pear Park steers solar power into the Xcel system. Alpine Bank subscribes to 5 percent of the electricity generated by this array. RESOURCE EFFICIENCY 3

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