Pueblo Zoo Chooses Solar to Power Animal Conservation

Pivot Energy and Pueblo Zoo partner to increase sustainability and inspire the community

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Dec 16, 2019, 09:00 ET

PUEBLO, Colo., Dec. 16, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Pivot Energy, Colorado's largest community solar developer, announced its partnership today with the Pueblo Zoo to purchase solar power that will be used to offset the Zoo's electricity with clean energy, reduce its carbon footprint, and lower its energy costs.

The Pueblo Zoo has committed to subscribe to a community solar garden, developed by Pivot Energy, which will provide the non-profit organization with 200 kilowatts (kW) of solar capacity, enough electricity to power nearly 40 homes a year. The solar subscription is estimated to save the Pueblo Zoo more than $350,000 in electricity expenses over the duration of the agreement. The money saved from the Zoo's solar subscription will be reallocated and used for its important animal conservation and education efforts.

"This initiative is important to us in so many ways. We are dedicated to acting as an example to our community in seeking out and implementing sustainable actions," said Abigail Krause, Executive Director of the Pueblo Zoo. "We want to inspire our guests and our students to find ways to make sustainable choices in their own lives. Transferring to solar enables us to be true to our mission to empower people to engage in conservation of animals and their natural habitat. Additionally, as a non-profit entity, it is important for us to stretch every dollar. This solar project will allow us to direct those valuable savings directly to the care of the animals."

"We are thrilled to be able to provide such significant savings for one of Colorado's most iconic entities," said Tom Hunt, CEO of Pivot Energy. "Community solar is an excellent program for organizations like the Pueblo Zoo to receive the benefits of solar energy without incurring any upfront costs. We look forward to seeing the continued great work the Pueblo Zoo will do as a result of the savings from their community solar subscription."

The 500-kW community solar garden is located near the Pueblo airport. Pivot Energy will construct and manage the project in partnership with Black Hills Energy. The community solar garden will also be open for Pueblo residents, businesses, and non-profits to participate.

About Pueblo Zoo
The Pueblo Zoo is a non-profit organization and an accredited member of the Associations of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) featuring more than 400 animals, 125 species, and beautiful grounds. Its mission is to empower people to engage in conservation of animals and their natural habitat. Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. For more information, call 561-1452 or visit www.pueblozoo.org. Join us on Facebook and Instagram.

About Pivot Energy
Pivot Energy is a Denver-based solar energy company that is focused on helping accelerate the rapid transition taking place in the energy industry to a more decentralized and cleaner approach to power generation. Pivot offers a distributed energy platform that includes a range of services and software aimed at serving the full commercial solar ecosystem, including retail customers, project developers, system operators, utilities, and financiers. The company develops, finances, builds, and manages community and commercial solar projects around the country. Pivot operates on a triple bottom line basis, measuring success by the positive impact to people, planet, and profit. Learn more at pivotenergy.net.

SOURCE Pivot Energy