The University of Denver has notched some pretty big goals recently, and they are closing in on another. But this time, it’s off the ice.

The goal?

Over the next 12 to 24 months, DU, in partnership with Pivot Energy, plans to bring five additional off-site solar projects online, eliminating 100% of campus electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions and reaching carbon neutrality by 2030, officials said.

How do they plan to do it?

With help from Colorado’s 300-plus days of sunshine.

Along with solar panels already installed on 18 campus buildings, DU completed the first of six off-site projects — located in Adams, Mesa and Weld counties — as part of its partnership with Denver-based Pivot Energy.

That first solar field, located in Johnstown, became operational in January.

The Johnstown project comprises about 7,000 solar panels, which is enough to power the equivalent of 760 average-sized homes, according to a DU statement.

The solar projects, officials note, also provide benefits to local landowners, offering 30-40 years of steady lease payments, and they will produce local property taxes for Weld County. The construction of the remaining five sites will be completed by 2027.

DU’s on-campus solar operates under a 20-year power purchase agreement, allowing the university to buy the renewable energy generated on-site, while Pivot Energy owns and operates the system, DU spokesperson Jon Stone told The Denver Gazette.

The agreement allows DU to buy the electricity at a lower rate than the standard grid rate.

The off-campus DU solar sites generate bill credits that are applied directly to electric utility bills. The credits effectively cover the cost of the renewable electricity that is generated and purchased. The shift from standard grid electricity to clean, renewable energy incurs no additional cost, Stone said.

When DU completes the project, it will position the academic institution among the first to comply with the Energize Denver Building Performance Policy.

Originally passed by the Denver City Council in 2021 and updated in 2025, the Energize Denver ordinance requires large commercial and multifamily buildings to track energy use and meet efficiency targets or face penalties.

The City of Denver awarded DU with approximately $250,000 in energy audit rebate funding, according to Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency spokesperson Chelsea Warren.

“This funding is available to all buildings 25,000 square feet and larger, and was utilized to do an energy audit on each DU building over 25,000 square feet.”

“Buildings are Denver’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions,” Elizabeth Babcock, executive director of Denver’s Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency, said Tuesday during a rooftop press event at the university. “Energize Denver was built by the community and passed by the City Council with a focused and ambitious goal to help buildings across our city use less energy and move Denver towards zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040, and the good news is that we are seeing real progress today.”