Our very first pilot project was funded by a grant from the City of Gunnison and completed during the pandemic restrictions in April of 2020. This 5.5 kilowatt array was built with Conergy 230-watt modules donated by Bank of Colorado in Boulder along with reuse Snap-n-Rack rails and a new SMA grid-tie inverter. Each year, the City of Gunnison transfers the total amount of energy savings to Gunnison Valley Regional Housing Authority's GV-HEAT program which funds energy efficiency upgrades for income-qualified households. By converting the value of kilowatt-hours produced into energy efficiency improvements, the system achieves around 2.5 times the public benefit as compared with regular electric bill credits.   

Funded by the Colorado Energy Office, the Miller household received a 4 kilowatt array consisting of reuse PhonoSolar 250-watt modules SolarEdge inverter plus DC optimizers donated by a homeowner in Vail. Snap-n-Rack rails were also reused. The homeowners enjoy significant energy savings from participating in the GV-HEAT energy efficiency program along with the energy produced by solar array. ESS™ continues to partner with the Colorado Energy Office on solar arrays for income-qualified homes.

Each year, ESS™ teams up with Nunatak Alternative Energy Solutions, Hearth Design Build and the Gunnison County chapter of Habitat for Humanity™ to build a 4 to 5 kilowatt solar array.

For Tier2 modules that still function but don't meet our quality standards to install on the homes of our needs-based clients, we can still reuse them for agricultural purposes or send them to Ukraine to provie silent, off-grid USB charging solutions for refugees, schools, involuntarily displaced people and anyone else who needs power when the grid is down. These chargers help people stay in touch with family and friends, stay updated on current conditions and remain connected to their online communities.