The Colorado Solar and Storage Association (COSSA) recently announced its 2022 solar and storage champions and some names are familiar to Morgan County residents on the list, according to a news release.

These awards began in 2021 at COSSA’s inaugural Topgolf networking event and have grown from COSSA’s annual tradition of recognizing individuals and organizations who have made invaluable contributions to the energy industry. solar and storage.

“Successful decarbonization in Colorado takes more than hard-working solar and storage companies,” said Mike Kruger, President and CEO of COSSA. “This is a collective effort that has been supported by multiple levels of government and made possible by partnerships with the people supplying electricity and building these solar and storage systems.”

Last year, COSSA recognized the work of Colorado State Senator Steve Fenberg and State Senator Kevin Priola, Colorado State Representative Alex Valdez and State Representative Kevin Van Winkle , Weld County Commissioners, Weld County Planner Tom Parko and Dan Merkle of Pivot Energy.

This year’s solar and storage champions are:

Morgan County Commissioners

Morgan County Commissioners Mark Arndt, Jon Becker and Gordon Westhoff will be recognized for their work developing common sense land use codes that reflect the unique land use impacts of solar projects and storage and promote large-scale development. These new codes come after months of solar and wind moratoria, and demonstrate that any county can – and should – attract solar investment to their county.

Morgan County Planning Department

Morgan County Planner Nicole Hay will also be honored with a ‘Friend of Solar’ award for working with industry to identify best practices when developing the county’s new land use codes. of Morgan.

US Senators Bennet and Hickenlooper

Colorado US Senator Michael Bennet and US Senator John Hickenlooper will be recognized for their advocacy during the Commerce Department’s tariff investigation.

During the worst of the industry freeze in May, senators traveled to Denver to discuss real-time impacts with COSSA members and hear their stories.

Senators brought the emergency back with them to Washington, D.C.

Bennet gave an emotional speech in the Senate, and Hickenlooper joined Sen. Jon Ossoff’s Make Solar Power for America bill as a co-sponsor.

united power

United Power has taken several important steps to support solar and energy storage. Their work has also touched multiple solar sectors, making them a true champion in 2022. United Power has one of the highest distributed generation penetrations of Colorado utilities, advocated for community solar with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and issued a considerable amount of 600 megawatts renewable. call for energy tenders in early 2022.

Workers’ International Union of North America)

The Workers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) will be recognized for its work to develop a renewable energy workforce and ensure jobs in solar and storage are attractive to people. quality talent.

“COSSA is happy to work alongside LIUNA to ensure work and solar work together rather than against each other, and we appreciate all the support they have given COSSA over the year. elapsed,” the press release read.

These solar power and storage champions will be celebrated at the Topgolf 2022 Networking Event on August 25, 2022 at Topgolf in Thornton, Colorado. Representatives of all winners will be on hand to receive the awards and offer brief remarks.

About COSSA

COSSA is the state trade association representing more than 250 solar and storage companies in Colorado. COSSA members provide solar and energy storage products and services to residential consumers, commercial businesses, utilities, and government entities statewide.