Blue Sky community projects

Millcreek was incorporated in 2016 from the foot of the Wasatch Mountains in the east to the banks of the Jordan River to the west. Millcreek City Hall received a Rocky Mountain Power Blue Sky grant for a 116.5-kilowatt solar array and battery backup. Many thanks to our Blue Sky® participants for their commitment to renewable energy and for making this grant possible!

The solar array:

• Supports Millcreek’s sustainability goals.
• Provides 30% of the new city hall’s energy.
• Saves on operating costs.
• Includes a 30-kilowatt battery and will be participating in the Wattsmart battery program.

In addition, since 2018, Millcreek has installed four electric vehicle charging stations with incentives from Rocky Mountain Power, and the broader community has received over $14 million in corporate donations and grants from the Rocky Mountain Power Foundation – the company’s philanthropic arm.

 Seager Memorial Clinic is a nonprofit providing free, easy-access, non-judgmental care to all in need in northern Utah. Thanks to Blue Sky participants they have been able to install a 25.3 kW solar array and 10kWh battery to their new building to help offset operating costs and show their commitment to care for the community by reducing their environmental footprint.

The Moab Free Health Clinic is a nonprofit organization established in 2008 to ensure that all members of the Moab community have access to medical care and health resources regardless of race, religion, age, gender, health care coverage, or financial need. The services include primary care and health education, mental health and psychiatric care, vision, dental, women's health, and patient navigation. The project consists of two rooftop ballasted solar arrays on two buildings, for a total 86.11 kW system. They also installed two 30 kW back up batteries to back up the fridtes and office general lighting. This project allows them to generate 98% of their electricity and the savings will allow them to dedicate more of the budget to their core mission of providing health care and social resources to those underserved in the community.

Utah State University Moab's new campus building located south of the city of Moab will be a combustion-free, net-zero energy building, passively designed to harness southern solar energy using thermal mass in the walls and floor: Deep overhangs create a series of covered porches, allowing for indoor activities to spill outside.

Students and visitors will enjoy a campus reflecting Moab's natural landscape, linking them to their broader ecosystem.

The city of Moab and its citizens are focused on sustainability and limiting their impacts on their surroundings. From the outset of the design of the building the focus has been to minimize the impacts of the building on the environment and for the building to act as a teaching tool for the community sustainable construction.

The 492 module solar array was placed on the parking canopies and is in an ideal position.

As one of Utah’s leaders in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate solutions, Utah Clean Energy has the expertise, industry/community relationships, and passion necessary to create a demonstration project that will inspire and educate the community - the Climate Innovation Center. The new headquarters, in downtown Salt Lake, is a state-of-the-art office building showcasing efficient, all-electric, and climate-friendly construction. The 37 kW Solar array will generate about 88% of the buildings electrical usage. Utah Clean Energy will offer regular in-person educational experiences, industry trainings, visitor tours, and roundtable sessions to share the story of how retrofitting our buildings to net zero energy standards is feasible, affordable, and imperative to addressing our climate and air quality challenges.

Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Customers are honored to celebrate the completion of the 186th renewable energy grant project since 2006.

85-module solar array was installed on the roof of the new 8-unit apartment as well as the parking canopies for the complex. The solar array was designed to help visitors learn about the technology that was used to have the Sprout Studios building be a net zero building. 100% of the Sprout Studios station’s energy now comes from the sun.

The mission of Wasatch Community Gardens is to empower people to grow and eat healthy, organic, local food. Since 1989, they have provided children, adults, and families in Salt Lake County with access to land and education for growing and eating fresh produce, while building and nurturing community connections through gardening and healthy food.

Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Customers are honored to celebrate the new Salt Lake School District transportation bus solar canopy.

The school bus solar canopy consists of 500 solar panels, generating more than 256,000 kWh of renewable energy each year. From an environmental standpoint, this will have the same greenhouse gas emissions reduction impact as taking 40 passenger vehicles off the road. This installation will charge 12 bus charging stations for buses that emit zero emissions in an underserved area of the school district.

To fulfill the Sustainability Resolution the school board aims to achieve two goals: to use 100% clean renewable energy in its electricity sector by 2030 and to meet 100% of all district operations energy needs with carbon neutral energy by 2040. 

The Egyptian Theatre is a community asset dedicated to enriching lives through the performing arts. They have installed 64 solar panels on the roof of the theatre in Park City, Utah, generating more than 37,000 kilowatt-hours of solar energy, which will be 30% of the theatre’s usage.

The Egyptian Theatre opened on Christmas Day, 1926. The Theatre operated as a community gathering place from that day forward. Today the theatre hosts a variety of theatre, comedy, musical acts, special events, community functions and more. The Egyptian Theatre continues to function as a landmark venue on Park City’s Main Street while retaining the distinctive flavor of years gone by, much like Park City itself. 

Catholic Community Services of Utah has installed a total of 132 solar panels on the warehouse/food storage building in Ogden, Utah, generating more than 65,000 kilowatt-hours of solar energy. 23% of their energy now comes from the sun!

CCS’ Ogden programs support low-income individuals and families struggling with food and income insecurity through food distribution, case management, and resource connections. The Joyce Hansen Hall Food Bank is the largest assistance pantry in the region, and typically helps over 5,000 households every month.

CCS has a mission statement that direct directs them to help people “through service, support and collaboration”. This collaborative effort will allow them to reinvest in their programs, allowing them to purchase specific food and items that are greatly needed to support the children and families in their programs. Blue Sky customers are proud to be part of Catholic Community Services project and applaud them for their effort to increase renewable energy.

This 65-panel solar array produces 24.7kW and will generate about 31% of the electricity the building consumes annually. Because this new renewable project allows them to generate their own electricity, they will save on energy costs - that means they can dedicate more of their budget to their core mission of serving Lander's seniors.  A dual-port level 2 Electric Vehicle (EV) charging station is located in the parking lot. The station is fueled with solar energy and serves the community. An EV charger is also installed in the garage of the Lander Senior Center for future growth of a potential EV vehicle to transport seniors around town.  

The City of Laramie's citizens are the primary motivation for pursuing a partnership with Rocky Mountain Power’s Blue Sky Program to install solar panels and a public EV charging station at the Laramie Fire Department Station #3 site. This project aligns with the City's mission to pursue strategies to eliminate municipal operations carbon emissions by the year 2050. This project is one of many inaugural steps toward meeting that ambitious citizen-driven goal.

The City has further committed to doing its part to ensure a healthy environment for its residents by supporting recycling, protecting air and water quality, and saving endangered species. More than 1,000 Blue Sky Program participants reside in Laramie and it is through their support of the program that this solar project was successful

Laramie Interfaith provides a means the community to help neighbors meet their basic needs. Incorporated as a nonprofit in 1988, it originally served as a unified clearinghouse for people who had been requesting assistance from various churches, with initial funding from churches and individuals. Over the next 30 years the food pantry was added, and the organization's staff and budget grew substantially. Anyone needing food is welcome in the food pantry. Anyone needing help to avoid eviction, prevent shutoff of utilities, obtain emergency shelter, or find long-term housing is welcome to apply for assistance. This 16.34 kW Solar Array is designed to off-set the higher energy costs of the new building addition and walk in coolers. They also installed a 40 kW battery storage system to provide back up for the walk-in refrigerator and freezer

The Riverton Senior Center was established in 1972. The mission of the center is to support the independence of seniors. While the center also serves as a community center; the main goal is supporting the senior population 60 years and over. The center provides transportation to and from needed services, congregate meals, home delivered meals, educational programs and a wide variety of social and recreational programs designed to help keep seniors active and involved in the community.

While the total amount of renewable energy produced by this system is small relative to the annual usage of the Senior Center; it is a step forward in solving the environmental issues we face today and into the future.

Laramie has installed 78 panels on both the Recreation Center and the Ice & Event Center which will generate 79,000 kilowatt-hours of solar energy each year. This project is the start of the City’s carbon neutrality efforts and will benefit the community by decreasing electrical costs and increasing the education on solar projects in Wyoming. The annual estimated combined environmental savings for the Recreation and Ice Centers are equivalent to 1,317 trees planted, or 65,570 pounds of coal saved. 

This solar PV system was designed to offset ~100% of the anticipated annual energy usage for the Wyoming Outdoor Council's new building. This project will help the Outdoor Council reduce overhead and operating expenses, while also meeting their 'net zero' goals. This project will serve as a visible model for the City of Lander's commitment to significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions to “enhance community resilience, quality of life, and economic viability for current and future generations." One dual port electric vehicle charging station (two charging ports total) is installed in the northwest parking lot providing charging resources to the community with easy access from South 2nd Street. These charging stations will allow the Outdoor Council to help educate the community and also allow them to transition away from fossil fuel based transportation.

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