adams county
Named after former Colorado Governor Alva Adams, encompasses 1,184 square miles in northeast Colorado. The county supports a population of more than 440,000, making it the fifth-most populous county in Colorado. Most of its population is concentrated in the Denver metro area, in the cities of Arvada, Aurora, Commerce City, and Thornton. Commerce City is home to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park and of the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, as well as of the Suncor Energy oil refinery, currently the largest oil refinery in the Rocky Mountain Region. Natural areas in the county include Barr Lake State Park, near Brighton, and the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge.
While the Suncor refinery cleans up its toxic waste, Adams County is entering the renewable energy market. In September 2014, the county became one of the first in the nation to implement a community solar panel program when it entered into a partnership with SunShare, a Denver-based solar energy company. The company plans to install solar gardens—large arrays of solar panels—near Forty-Eighth Avenue and Imboden Road. When completed, Adams County will purchase approximately 189 kilowatts to power its municipal buildings, which are estimated to make up 5 percent of the county’s total electricity demand.
County sustainability manager Nick Kittle claimed that the partnership will save Adams County nearly $300,000 in energy costs over the next twenty years, and that county homeowners will be allowed to purchase SunShare solar energy after the benefits for the municipal buildings are evaluated. The county and other potential SunShare customers will receive credits for the solar power on their Xcel Energy bills.
