Publish Date: May 23rd, 2019

As part of our mission to create a cleaner, healthier environment and to support the communities we live and work in, Namaste Solar has installed electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at multiple locations. These charging stations, which can be used for free, help create a robust infrastructure for current EV users and increase EV adoption by employees of our cooperative and community members. Namaste Solar was aided in this initiative by the Charge Ahead Colorado program, a joint program between the Regional Air Quality Council and Colorado Energy Office. The program offers information and grants for EV charger installations to encourage diversification of transportation in Colorado.

As a company focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we knew we wanted to make EV charging accessible and free. Powering vehicles with clean electricity is crucial to reducing CO2, improving air quality, and mitigating the impacts of climate change, which are all important to us as a solar company and advocate of renewable energy sources.

Namaste Solar has installed four Level II EV charging stations:

• One EV charger is at our Boulder office at 6707 Winchester Circle. Utilization: 35 MWh and 472 unique charging sessions since November 2018.
• Two EV chargers are at our Denver office and warehouse at 888 Federal Boulevard. (Our Denver office is LEED Certified and has all of its energy needs, including EV chargers, offset by the solar panel array on the rooftop.) Utilization: 1 MWh and 145 unique charging sessions since November 2018.
• One EV charger is at our previous Boulder location at 4571 Broadway Street and the building’s solar PV system supplemented some of the EV charging station energy consumption. The charger continues to be offered by the new building owner. Utilization, when we managed the station: 7 MWh and 1,743 unique charging sessions between January 2017 and July 2018.

The total usage from these four chargers is the equivalent of roughly 47,000 miles driven by an average car or 44 barrels of oil. It’s equal to planting 317 trees or preventing 19.2 metric tons of carbon from entering the atmosphere. And that’s just in the short time these charging stations have been operating!

Providing EV charging closely aligns with our mission and our standing as a Certified B Corporation. We believe business has an important role to play in creating positive change, and we measure our profit and success holistically. The four EV charging stations installed by Namaste Solar have provided holistic benefits for our employees, our local communities, and for the environment.

Learn more about the Namasté Solar mission and business model.