Blue Sky community projects

Since 1983, SUWA has been working full-time to defend America’s Redrock wilderness from oil and gas development, unnecessary road construction, rampant off-road vehicle use, and other threats to Utah’s wilderness-quality lands.

In the fall of 2020, a 9.6 kW Solar array was installed that will produce over 13,000 kWh annually. By reducing its carbon footprint, SUWA is better achieving the goal of protecting natural assets. This system has environmental annual benefits equivalent of not driving 11,700 miles, not burning nearly 15,000 pounds of coal, planting 190 trees and removing 9,400 pounds of CO2 from the atmosphere.

Casa Milagros is the oldest nonprofit Hispanic organization in Utah. It is a nonpolitical, nonreligious, nondiscriminatory organization that serves the low-to-moderate income Hispanic and immigrant community in the Salt Lake Valley by providing educational, cultural, social and athletic activities as well as housing. The project will cover all the needs of the common area for the new building that will serve approximately 68 seniors.

Casa Milagros installed a 23kW Solar installation that will provide power for the senior activities area, lounge, kitchen, computer room, laundry and other common areas. 

St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church is the only Catholic Church in Cache and Rich County, Utah.  Therefore, Parishioners come from throughout Cache Valley, including Southern Idaho, Garden City in Rich County, and from adjacent communities in Box Elder County. 

The parish is committed to reducing its energy consumption and installed an 80 kW solar array in 2020.  This array will generate over 104,000 kWh per year. 

Spy Hop Productions installed a 41kW Solar installation in September 2020. This solar array will generate 60,740 kWh annually which will offset approximately 25% of their energy costs. 

Spy Hop Productions constructed a new 22,000 square foot building in the Central Ninth neighborhood in Salt Lake City in the fall of 2020. The new facility was designed from the outset with sustainability as a primary goal. The building’s south facing windows and glazed walls are shaded by deep building insets to reduce heat gain in summer but allow solar access in winter, they used high recycled content building materials and low VOC building materials to protect indoor air quality, and the HVAC system uses cool outside air when available to provide free cooling.

This project will benefit the community by ensuring that programming is available for future generations by investing in sustainable design and build for Spy Hop’s permanent home. It is equally important to Spy Hop that the organization model environmentally sustainable practices to its students and community. 

Blessed Sacrament Catholic Parish in Sandy Utah installed a 50 kW solar array which will provide over 25% of the school’s annual kilowatt hour usage. The school will reduce its annual power costs by over $2,500 annually which will be used to supply classroom materials for their students.

The 250 students and their families that attend the Catholic Parish are only some of those who will be educated by the enhanced curriculum into renewable energy generation. What comes out of the school flows into the Parish congregation of 800 families and into the Utah Green Schools Initiative, as well as the Utah Society for Environmental Education to promote the Blue Sky program and encourage participation.

The Boys and Girls club of Greater Salt Lake completed the installation of a 92.5 kW system, generating more than 125,000 kWh of renewable energy each year. This project was made possible with a $199,000 grant from Blue Sky customers.

The project is expected to help trim 50 percent of Boys & Girls Club’s electrical costs for the new larger building, saving approximately $20,000 each year. The savings will help the club divert more resources to serving local students and their families through after-school and summer programs. "We are grateful to Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky participants for the solar installation,” said LeAnn Saldivar, president and CEO, Boys & Girls Clubs of Salt Lake. “Solar energy was identified as a key component of this new facility as a means of reducing operating expenses and limiting the facility’s environmental footprint. It also offers a great teaching tool to Club members, their families and the community."

St. Joseph’s Catholic High School has installed a total of 156 solar panels on their Fine Arts and Visual Arts buildings in Ogden, Utah, generating more than 65,000 kilowatt-hours of solar energy.

One of St. Joseph High School’s students, Olivia Arbogast, initiated the conversation with the principal about installing solar at the school. In early 2019, the school worked with Synergy Power to build and submit an application to Rocky Mountain Power, which eventually resulted in 87% of the project being funded by Blue Sky program customers.

Community Rebuilds is a leader in energy-efficient, natural building and they install solar PV systems on most of the affordable housing they build for community members.

The two story straw bale bunkhouse was built in 2018 and inspired by the homes they build including adobe floors, earthen plasters, tadelakt shower walls, and passive solar design.

The bunkhouse is located along the city's bike path and signage will be visible to all passers-by, therefore spreading knowledge of alternative clean energy.

Community Rebuilds has installed 51 solar panels on the roof of their bunkhouse, generating 26,126 kWh annually. The project was installed by Synergy Power during the summer of 2020.

The UDOT Cal Rampton Complex in Taylorsville, Utah completed the installation of a 178 kW system, generating more than 250,000 kWh of renewable energy each year. This project was made possible with a $246,630 grant from Blue Sky customers.

This project is an expansion of an effort to cover existing carports at the UDOT Rampton Complex Motorpool parking area. UDOT is responsible for all of Utah’s highways (not counting local government roads) and our purpose is to provide safe, reliable and durable transportation solutions while helping with mobility of goods and services.  We serve the citizens of Utah in a way that provides for a healthy economy and efficient mobility.  UDOT would like to make the connection between renewable energy, energy efficiency, electric transportation and clean air.  

We believe this project will have significant overlap of technologies and provide a meaningful effort to integrate new technologies and clean energy.

Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Customers are honored to celebrate the completion of the 166th renewable energy grant project since 2006. The INN Between has installed a total of 368 solar panels on their roof in Sugarhouse, Utah, generating more than 180,600 kWh of solar energy each year. The project was installed by Creative Energies during the summer of 2020.

The INN Between is Utah’s first and only end of life and medical respite program for adults experiencing homelessness.

Their mission is to end the tragic history of vulnerable people dying on the streets of our community by providing a safe and supportive haven for those who have nowhere to live during a medical crisis.

Utah State University in Logan, Utah completed the installation of a 108 kW system, generating more than 149,000 kWh of renewable energy each year. This project was made possible with a $200,495 grant from Blue Sky customers.

This solar array is located in the center of an electric vehicle charging test track at a facility on the USU Innovation Campus. This development included research facilities along with commercial buildings. The mission of USU’s Office of Research and Graduate Studies is to facilitate a culture of excellence in research, scholarship, and creative activity that spans the lifecycle of faculty and students through operation, training, funding, and compliance support. 

Wasatch Charter School has installed a total of 416 solar panels on their roof in Holladay, Utah, generating more than 219,000 kilowatt-hours of solar energy each year. Wasatch Charter School has committed to adding renewable energy education to its curriculum to teach students the role it will play for future generations. This project is estimated to reduce the school’s CO2 emissions by 341,368 pounds per year.

The Downtown Clinic completed a renewable energy project that will allow the center to make a larger impact on the community.

The Laramie nonprofit, which provides services to those in the community without access to healthcare, is now being powered by the sun.

Made possible by a $33,675 grant from Blue Sky customers, the 25-panel solar array offsets 98 percent of the clinic’s energy usage. The project also includes Wyoming’s first Blue Sky battery storage system that will keep medical supplies, such as vaccines, properly stored during an emergency.

“This project has allowed us to save money and provide more services to our clients,” said Pete Gosar, Downtown Clinic executive director. “This means more emergency dental services, more vision exams, and more prescription medicines for families in need. We are extremely thankful.”

The clinic reports that the cost savings generated each year is equivalent to over 200 prescription medications, 20 eye exams or the costs of 60 primary care visits. 

The 10.6 kilowatt solar project provides energy to the Meals on Wheels nonprofit facility in Casper. The facility hosts free, quarterly workshops and tours showcasing renewable energy for area residents.

The nonprofit outdoor school is dedicated to teaching environmental ethics, technical outdoor skills and leadership on backcountry expeditions around the world. 

The school's solar arrays are installed at its administrative building, international headquarters and Noble Hotel.

Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport serves area travelers and supports nearly 17,000 aircraft operations each year. The airport received $94,216 in Blue Sky funds to build a 30 kilowatt solar array on the new General Aviation Terminal and Hangar Facility.

“This solar array will provide our leadership and staff with a sense of pride for years to come,” said Devon Brubaker, Rock Springs-Sweetwater County Airport Manager. “This pride will be demonstrated not only to visitors to the airport but also at all community events held at the airport.”

In 2015, the University of Wyoming completed the installation of a new solar carport structure adjacent to the War Memorial Stadium. 

This project is the third at the university to receive funding from Blue Sky customers. Other renewable energy projects are installed at Bim Kendall House and University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service in Casper. 

Besides helping the university offset energy costs, the renewable projects help educate students and the community about solar and wind energy. 

Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Customers are honored to celebrate the completion of the 160th renewable energy grant project since 2006. This project consists of 3 different arrays at West Side High School, Preston Jr. High School, and Malad High School. All 3 sites installed a 38.5 kW system which consists of 108 panels each.

These Southeastern Idaho Professional Technical Charter Schools focus on a curriculum of skills that are needed in today’s world. As a learning institution they pride themselves in finding new ways to keep students engaged. Being able to use solar energy as a way to motivate students to learn math, engineering, science, electronics, and other subjects will keep students engaged in learning.

Consolidated Irrigation Company (CIC), based in Preston, Idaho, undertook a major effort to pipe their irrigation ditch to correct seepage problems. As a part of the piping project, CIC installed a low-impact hydroelectric power system to capture the energy of water moving through the irrigation pipe.

In 2015, CIC completed installation of a 481-kilowatt generator. The generator feeds power directly into Rocky Mountain Power’s electric system and helps keep costs low for the nonprofit irrigation network. The project location provides great exposure to local schools and visitors to the nearby Glendale Reservoir.

The Idaho Wind for Schools program installed wind turbines at Midway Middle School and Rigby High School, giving students a hands-on math and science learning opportunity to incorporate into the schools’ renewable energy programs.

Generation data is monitored and shared with other schools.

Live monitoring:

• Midway Middle School
• Rigby Senior High School