Publish Date: January 6th, 2017

Conscience Bay Company (CBC) today announced the completion of a 316 kW solar array on the historic Colorado Trade Center at 5151 Bannock Street near the intersection of I-25 and I-70. The 700,000 square foot industrial warehouse was originally built in 1922 for the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad.

Construction of the Trade Center was completed December 5, 1923, ninety-three years to the day prior to completion of the solar system. It has been home to such notable tenants as MillerCoors, Nestle Purina, and Safeway. Current tenants include FreshPack Produce, Frozen Food Express, FreshPoint, Condit Exhibits, and Colorado Doorways. In the photos above, the Colorado Trade Center is shown in 2017.

Namaste Solar designed and constructed the Colorado Trade Center solar array, which will generate roughly 470 megawatt-hours per year, supplying the tenants with green energy. 

“This was a unique and exciting project for us, juxtaposing state of the art technology on a building with such a rich history," said Ben Griffin, Co-Owner and Project Development Manager at Namaste Solar. "Our designers and installers stepped up to the challenge incorporating three solar arrays on a sixty-foot high roof with over 4,500 feet of conduit. Our goal was to make the most efficient use of space, while preserving the historic integrity of the building. We would like to thank and congratulate Conscience Bay Company for their dedication to renewables and their critical role in making this project a success.” 

With this installation, CBC has installed over 400 kW of solar panels on its properties, which produce an estimated 487,250 kWh of electricity annually. The clean energy production provided from these solar panels alone is enough to power 36 homes for one year. Simultaneously, energy efficiency investments in their properties to date have yielded an average of 13% reduction of energy cost savings for their tenants and reduced their energy consumption by 15%; equivalent to the annual GHG emissions of more than 60 passenger vehicles. Future plans to implement energy efficiency strategies on CBC properties continue to reduce the cost of operations for their tenants and impact on the environment.

Conscience Bay Company purchased the iconic building in 2015 and set out to modernize the building’s energy management system with solar. The project is part of the company’s mission to cut carbon emissions and resource use in the commercial sector.  

“Part of our value creation strategy is reducing consumption of natural resources. We make investments in our properties that are both good for the environment and earn a return for our investors,” said Ben Woolf, Director of Commercial Investments at Conscience Bay Company.   

About Conscience Bay Company
Conscience Bay Company, a certified B Corporation®, is a private equity firm that invests in agricultural land, water resources, and commercial real estate. We equate property ownership with responsibility, and produce profits while practicing good stewardship. For more information, please visit cbayco.com.