Energy Outreach Colorado and Pivot Energy celebrate Aurora solar garden serving more than 1,000 income-qualified households and demonstrating the potential of agrivoltaics.
AURORA, Colo. October 6, 2026 — Pivot Energy and Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC) brought together community solar subscribers, local leaders, agricultural partners and energy industry stakeholders Monday, October 5th to celebrate Community Solar Energy Day and a solar project demonstrating how Colorado can address energy affordability while expanding access to renewable energy.
Held at Pivot Energy’s Kacie Peters Solar Garden in Aurora, the event gave subscribers to the community solar project and community partners an opportunity to tour the 5-megawatt solar garden, learn how community solar helps reduce household electricity costs and see firsthand how solar generation can coexist with agriculture and other productive uses of land.
Monday’s event featured Mayor Mike Coffman declaring a proclamation that October 2nd would be Community Solar Day in Aurora, as well as, remarks from Pivot Energy CEO Tom Hunt, Energy Outreach Colorado CEO Jennifer Gremmert and Zeryai Hagos, Xcel Energy’s RVP of Integrated Planning, along with tours of the solar garden and opportunities for subscribers and community partners to connect with the people behind the project.
The project, located on formerly unused municipal land leased from the City of Aurora and interconnected directly with Xcel Energy’s grid, dedicates 100% of its capacity to income-qualified households. The project provides energy savings to more than 1,000 families and, in a typical year, saves each household an estimated $800 r in electricity costs.
Pivot Energy has partnered with Energy Outreach Colorado to manage income-qualified subscriptions to the garden. EOC identifies and qualifies subscribers and connects each subscriber’s savings directly to the Xcel Energy electric bill.
“Community solar can provide a meaningful reduction in energy costs without requiring participants to install solar panels or own property,” said Jennifer Gremmert, CEO of Energy Outreach Colorado. “This benefit comes at no cost to our subscribers and saves them an average of 50% on their electricity bill, which eases difficult choices about paying for other essential needs like food and medicine.”
The need for these savings is particularly significant as energy costs continue to put pressure on Colorado households. One in four Colorado households struggles to afford home energy costs, while the state's average residential electricity bill has risen approximately 30% over the five years from March 2021 to March 2026.
“This project and our partnership with Energy Outreach Colorado reflects Pivot Energy’s core principles: solar energy development can and should directly benefit the communities it operates in and the land it resides on,” said Tom Hunt, CEO of Pivot Energy. “We’re proud to be developing renewable energy that is driving both economic and community value through agricultural production on the site, and energy savings for families subscribed to the garden.”
The Kacie Peters Solar Garden also showcases Pivot’s leadership in agrivoltaics, an approach that combines solar energy production with agricultural activities. Sheep graze beneath the solar panels, honeybees pollinate the surrounding area and produce local honey, and chickens are raised on-site in partnership with local farmers. These activities demonstrate how solar sites can support agricultural production, pollinator habitat and local land stewardship alongside renewable energy generation.
Pivot has also invested $70,000 through the Aurora Community College Foundation, including a scholarship and funding for the Center for STEM, Power Mechanics and Applied Technologies to help prepare students for careers in the clean energy workforce. Pivot has donated more than $350,000 to support EOC’s work. Nationally, Pivot has invested over $3 million into local communities, including nearly $1.7 million in Colorado.