The Clean Energy Collective (CEC) was an American clean energy company based in Louisville, Colorado, active from 2010 until its filing for bankruptcy in 2020.
History
The Clean Energy Collective was a company that focused on the development, operation, and maintenance of community-based clean energy facilities.
As part of their services, the organization provided a software solution known as the Community Solar Platform (CSP) to its cooperative members. This software was designed to calculate energy production and monthly credits for participants, and it was complemented by a smartphone application.[1]
Community Solar Plan
The CSP was a service that allowed users to purchase and use solar panels without physically attaching them to their property.[2] Solar panel owners were paid in electricity credits for the value of the electricity generated.
Funding
In 2012, Sooper Credit Union of Arvada, Colorado, agreed to offer long-term loans to consumers and businesses that buy into CEC community-owned solar gardens.[3]
Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses (Con Edison CEB), formed in 2016 and a wholly owned subsidiary of Consolidated Edison, Inc. (ConEd), "purchased a portfolio of Community Solar projects in development from Clean Energy Collective, LLC" in 2020.[4]
Partnership
The Clean Energy Collective partnered with local utilities, including Holy Cross Energy,[5] Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association (PVREA),[6] and the Wright-Hennepin Cooperative Electric Association.[7]
In 2014, solar manufacturer First Solar took a minority equity position in Clean Energy Collective. It announced a "strategic partnership to develop and market" community solar gardens for utilities.[8]
Bankruptcy
In 2020, Clean Energy Collective filed for bankruptcy.[9]