By NICOLE DANNA Colorado Daily Staff Writer
Thursday, August 30, 2007

If you're driving around town and come upon a group of bikers carting cardboard boxes on trailers, be sure to give them a sunny greeting.

They may just be part of the Namaste Solar Electric team, on their way to install photovoltaic solar panels for a local resident or business.

�As a company, we're always looking for new ways to stretch ourselves to be more resource efficient - more ways to walk our talk,� said Ray Tuomey, Namaste co-owner and project manager.

Namaste, a Boulder-based solar electric company, has long had a goal of making their projects more environmentally friendly, said Tuomey, including conducting sales using several energy-efficient Toyota Priuses, as well as delivery vans that run on biodiesel fuels.

The most efficient method, however: making deliveries on two wheels. On Aug. 27, Namaste made its first bike delivery in collaboration with local non-profit, Community Cycles, to deliver 40 solar electric panels, mounting frames, ladders and tools to a job site via bike from its 2639 Pearl St. location.

It's was �pollution-free solar installation,� said Tuomey, of the renewable energy that uses radiation emitted by the sun to supply electricity.

Working to deliver eco-friendly solar electricity in an eco-friendly way is something each of Namaste's 26 employees not only support - but live by, said Tuomey. Because Namaste is 100 percent company-owned, Tuomey said its employees are more than just suppliers of renewable energy - but solar power stakeholders, as well.

�We feel that by giving our employees a stake in the company, it increases everyone's commitment to our efforts,� said Tuomey. �That means people are looking at their work from the eyes of an owner. From sales to installation, everyone is making sure [their job] is done properly.�

CU Environmental Center program manager Rob Hall, who has worked with Namaste with CU and outside his professional capacity, said the local company lives by what they preach.

�They are helping people live by their ideals, so a lot of people who want to reduce their impact on climate, this is one of the best ways you can do that - by reducing [your use] of fossil fuels,� said Hall Thursday.

By having businesses like Namaste in town, it helps the community get farther ahead of its goals to reduce global warming, said Hall.

It's a goal that has been in the works since Namaste opened its doors to the community in 2005 - an effort pioneered by President Blake Jones. Jones had been working to integrate solar technology in renewable energy projects in Nepal when he decided to bring his knowledge back to his hometown community of Boulder.

�Here he was, doing this great work across the globe, and he wanted to bring it home,� said Tuomey.

Today, thanks to companies like Namaste, Boulder is Xcel Energy's larges adopter of photovoltaic solar panels in the state region.

Such a feat would not be possible, however, without Amendment 37, added Tuomey.

Tuomey said thanks to state Amendment 37, which established a 10-percent renewable energy requirement for Colorado's largest utilities by 2015, Namaste was able to gain a strong foothold in the metro-area's solar energy market.

Colorado became the first state in the nation to pass a renewable standard in a statewide election when it passed Amendment 37, the revised state statute concerning renewable energy standards. The amendment mandates large providers of retail electric services include renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and hydrogen fuel cells - among others - make up a percentage of retail electricity sales, beginning with 3 percent in the year 2007, and increasing to 10 percent by 2015.

Hall agreed Amendment 37 is one of the biggest factors in helping companies like Namaste grow.

�It can't be underestimated the impact [Amendment 37] has had,� said Hall. �We're talking about [making solar energy available to consumers for] about roughly half the cost of the system.�

Interested in installing solar panels at your home or office, but aren't sure about the cost? Tuomey said Namaste will custom-design a system that fits each customer's needs and budget. First, a Namaste employee will assess your energy usage to determine ways you can reduce your carbon footprint outside of solar panel installation - such as using energy efficient light bulbs, and replacing aging appliances.

Next, installation technicians will look at the site to determine the best way to install a solar panel system - the difference between a roof or ground-mounted system.

�We'll work with you to create the perfect system,� said Tuomey.

For Namaste employee Eric Warner, who has had his own solar panel system for a one year, using solar-generated renewable energy has been �fun and easy.�

�It's wonderful,� said Warner. �You can turn it on and forget about it, or you can keep an eye on it to see how it's working.�

Although critics of solar energy may say it is disadvantageous because it energy can't be generated at night, and is currently more expensive than other forms of renewable electricity, for Warner, it is a system that works well.

�[It's] not even remotely [high maintenance],� said Warner. �It's wonderful.�