Nexgen Energy LLC
4450 Arapahoe Ave , Suite 100 , Boulder, Colorado, United States

NexGen Energy Partners, LLC is an owner and operator of distributed renewable energy systems sited at customers’ facilities. The company works with governments, schools, businesses and utilities across the nation to deliver its customers the benefits of clean energy without the capital investment and technical risk. NexGen Energy is based in Boulder, Colorado.

Clean Power Fuels Business

Naturally filtered by the Colorado Rockies, a pristine spring emerges in the small town of Eldorado Springs. Locals have treasured the water for centuries. A few decades ago, three of them started a company to bottle it. As Eldorado Artesian Springs grew, the founders looked for opportunities to reduce the company’s environmental footprint. One attractive option: harness abundant sun energy to satisfy the company’s energy needs at its production facility. Jeremy Martin, one of the co-founders, recalls reaching out to a local solar company, Namaste Solar. He learned that his water company couldn’t afford to finance the system on its own. This proved to be an impassable barrier for more than three years.  In early 2009, NexGen Energy stepped in and offered to own the solar facility and sell the energy produced to Eldorado Artesian Springs at a predictable rate for ten years. Within five months, the project was approved, financed, and implemented. Today, Eldorado Artesian Springs has a ~100 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system that produces more than 131,000 kilowatthours of energy annually. “Finally,” says Eldorado’s Martin, “we have healthy energy to complement a healthy beverage.”

A Reliable Financial Tool

Employees appreciate knowing that 45% of Eldorado’s electricity requirements are delivered by the sun. CFO Shoenfeld appreciates that almost half her company’s electricity will be supplied at a predictable rate for 10 years.  In recent years, the company’s price for energy has increased by as much as seven percent within a given year. That uncertainty has impacted executive decisions, says Shoenfeld. Now, with a significant part of the company’s energy expenditures fixed, executives can focus less on the energy budget and more on growing their business.

A Clean Energy Celebration

The turbines were commissioned five months after the contract was signed and just one month after groundbreaking. Upper Scioto Valley Schools held a ribbon cutting for the wind turbines and for its Green Lab/Wind Energy facility that attracted over one hundred and fifty people. Ohio Governor Ted Strickland sent a proclamation commending the school district for its renewable energy leadership. Representatives for the Ohio Department of Development, local Chamber of Commerce and regional universities were among the attendees.

Excitement in the Community

The whole community has been energized by the projects, according to Eric Nesbitt of the Port Authority. Many residents have praised the project, the school has collaborated with NexGen Energy to integrate wind education in the classroom and the city has planned a summertime 5K race to celebrate the wind turbines. Some boaters even use the tall wind turbines for navigation. Superintendent Houston remarked, “It has been a little glimmer of hope for our community.“