Green Team

Addressing Climate Change Solutions Locally through Electric Vehicles

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan for Eagle County

Basalt is working diligently to meet its most immediate climate action goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025.  Town Council and staff are looking at all possible solutions to achieve this reduction.  In 2021, ground transportation was responsible for 42% of greenhouse gas emissions in Eagle, only superseded by buildings, which account for 47.7% of emissions.  Growth in electric vehicle use has been targeted in a newly released Eagle County report entitled Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Plan.

 In an early June presentation to the Green Team (and the next evening to Basalt Town Council), Gina McCrackin, Climate Action Collaborative Manager shared a section of the Climate Action Plan for the Eagle County Community and said, “This…is the strongest strategy found within the climate action plan in terms of ability to decrease greenhouse gas emissions, so that signals to us that we need to be doing a 2% increase in EVs each year as a percentage of all registered vehicles in Eagle County.” 

To help achieve this increase in electric vehicles countywide, McCrackin said the solution lies in expanding the charging infrastructure.  The plan calls for a 12:1 EV-to-public plug ratio or a total of 1,129 across Eagle County by 2030.  Currently there are:

• 200 in Eagle County
• 77 in Pitkin County
• 20 in Basalt

In addition, funding, infrastructure, and outreach strategies are needed to meet these goals.  The priority areas for installation of charging stations include multifamily, commercial, and government owned properties.

The costs for charging stations, depending on the level of voltage of the electric source, run from $4,000 to $100,000 with opportunities for significant cost reductions from local and state grants.

The presentation and report provide valuable information for Town Council to understand future need and opportunities.  

The Green Team will be looking at EV infrastructure as a possible issue to address in its 2024 workplan, which will be drafted over the next few months and finalized in the fall.

The Sun is in Charge

Town of Basalt and Roaring Fork School District Working Together to Provide Solar Energy

 The Town of Basalt signed a formal agreement with the Roaring Fork School District earlier this month to partner on several solar projects at Basalt District properties where ownership, expenses, maintenance, and energy credits will be shared with the benefit of clean energy generation for the schools and the Town.

The partnership includes five solar arrays that will be located on land in front of Basalt High School and on the rooftops of the Basalt High School concession stand, Elementary School, El Jebel school bus barn and Basalt Public Works building. The renewable offsets provide meaningful reductions in emissions as the kilowatts of solar energy the panels will generate reduce traditional electric use in the range of 11% to 92% depending on the property.

The addition of solar panels at the schools is one of several projects the Town of Basalt is spearheading in response to the 2021 Basalt Forward Program ballot question where voters approved increasing the supply of affordable housing, improvements on Midland Avenue, and green projects such as solar development and vehicle charging stations.   

Installation of the solar panels at all 5 locations are set to begin in late summer of 2023 and be substantially completed by the end of this calendar year.

In addition to voter-approved environmental projects, Basalt’s 2023 Strategic Work Plan prioritizes preserving and protecting the natural environment by investing in green technologies and supporting new ideas that reduce the Town’s impact on the environment. 

Based on the ballot issue, Basalt has committed $2 million for green initiatives.  The solar project is being paid for in part by grants from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and federal tax credits totaling approximately $1.2 million, allowing its funding to go further and support other green projects in the future. 

If you are interested in solar energy for your home or business, our partners at CORE offer rebates of up to $3,400.  Learn more here.

CORE Grants Available for Projects with Significant Efficiency and Sustainability Elements

Funds available to Basalt Residents and Businesses located in Eagle County

The Green Team has allocated $40,000 to CORE (Community Office for Resource Efficiency) to help residents and businesses located in the Eagle County* portion of Basalt offset the cost of large projects that create impactful energy reductions. The funds, which are available as grant dollars, are designed to be used for retrofit projects but new development may also be considered. Funding is awarded via application and approval by CORE. 

CORE’s grant criteria stipulate that projects up to $50,000 not covered by smaller rebates are eligible. The grant applications that are most attractive to CORE include a commitment to complete the project, potential for the project to be replicated, community and social benefits, and the influence the grant will have on the ability for the project to move forward.

Learn more at aspencore.org or call CORE’s energy concierge at 970-925-9775 x 1003.

*Grants are available for projects within the Pitkin County portion of Basalt through CORE as well and are funded by Pitkin County.