Colorado is primed to be powered by solar thermal energy, but
one big challenge stands in the way: No one seems to know about
it. Neal Lurie, executive director of Colorado Solar Energy
Industries Association, presented a talk on the benefits of
solar thermal energy and Colorado’s opportunity to be at the
forefront of its implementation during the Boulder County
commissioners meeting on June 14. The lack of awareness about
this alternative energy source presents one of the biggest
obstacles of implementing solar thermal energy, Lurie says.
Colorado’s climate is near-perfect for the alternative energy
source, and startup loans for those wanting to make the switch
will be available starting in August. The technology used in
solar thermal increases in performance when the outside
temperature differs from the heated liquid inside the panels.
The greater the temperature difference, the more efficient the
process. Colorado is the best-suited state in the country for
thermal technologies due to its great amount of s