Rocky Mountain Solar and Wind, Inc

RMS&W has designed, installed and repaired solar energy systems since 1975, and wind systems since 2002. We install residential, commercial, and industrial systems in the Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver, Fairplay and Canon City regions of Colorado. Our Sales and Design team work closely with the Colorado Springs Utilities, Black Hills Energy, Mountain View Electric, Sangre de Cristo Electric and Xcel Rebate Programs.

Rocky Mountain Solar & Wind provides solar and wind energy systems. We do design, sales and installation in the Colorado area. 

RMSWI has designed, installed and repaired solar energy systems since 1975, and wind systems since 2002. We install residential, commercial, and industrial systems in the Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Denver, Fairplay and Cañon City regions of Colorado. Our Sales and Design team work closely with the Colorado Springs Utilities, Black Hills Energy, Mountain View Electric and Xcel Rebate Programs; also we are members of the Colorado Springs Utilities Home Vantage Program.

Experience & Qualifications 

Rocky Mountain Solar & Wind, Inc's (RMSWI) president, Lotus, has been an active solar contractor for 32 years.  He has been CoSEIA Certified in both solar electric and solar heating for roughly twelve years.   RMSWI has a solar F-1license from El Paso County and a solar license from Teller County.  RMSWI  is a licensed builder in El Paso County, and has been a licensed builder for over 32 years with experience in a large variety of types of construction including sunrooms, new homes and remodeling.  RMSWI  has been installing wind turbines since 2002.  Lotus received OSHA training under John Hall during 2007.  This training was organized by CoSEIA.  During 2008, RMSWI grossed over 1 million dollars, mostly from the design, sale and installation of solar electric systems.  RMSWI has been a member of the Colorado Springs Utilities Advantage Program for over three years and works closely with other utilities also such as Black Hills Energy, Xcel Energy, Sangre de Cristo Electric, and Mountain View Electric.  RMSWI during 2009 installed both a demonstration solar electric system and a wind turbine system for Mountain View Electric Co-op.  During 2009, RMSWI installed the largest civilian solar electric system ever installed in Colorado Springs, 62.4 KW DC.  This system is a ground mounted system.

Solar Electric Grid-Tied Systems Introduction

The most commonly installed solar system is a solar electric system interconnected with the local power grid, often called a grid-tied solar system. This type solar system has become the most popular mainly due to a 30% federal tax credit and solar rebates available from most utilities in Colorado and many other states (See our incentives page).  These systems are automatic and maintenance free.  One downside to most grid interconnected solar systems is that during a grid blackout most grid-tied solar systems will not produce power even if the sun is shining.  Although batteries can be used in a grid-tied system, the inverters and batteries generally add many thousands of dollars to the cost of the system.   The vast majority of people simply store the electricity produced by their solar system in the grid, although people with an unreliable utility provider, or who want to be self-sufficient, may want to invest extra money in a battery based grid-tied solar electric system.

System Sizing 

A grid tied solar electric system that is sized to produce most to all of a customer's electric usage (dependent upon installation space and budget of course) is fairly common.  The easiest way to size a system that is appropriate for your needs is to contact your utility and request some electric usage history information.   To be as accurate as possible, the information you will need is the average kWh (kilo-Watt hours) used in the past year.  It is important to include all seasons because a solar system will produce different amounts of energy at different times of year and likewise most customers use different amounts of energy at different times of year depending on the house loads.   Our pre-designed systems on our price list include average production numbers (in KWH perday), so once you have your average usage it is easy to match a system size to meet your needs.  Please contact us for the latest Rocky Mountain Solar & Wind, Inc. 

What wind turbine should I purchase? 

Determine how much electricity you consume per average month or annually.   You can get this information off your utility bills, or from your utility company.  Select a turbine that has a yearly production that is close to or slightly more than the amount of electricity you consume annualy  Consider that a heavier turbine is likely to have fewer repairs and will last longer than a lighter turbine  Select a turbine manufacturer that has a long track record, i.e., that is listed in the June/July 2009 (#131) issue of Home Power Magazine article How to Buy a Wind Generator