SunShare, a newly formed company, held a groundbreaking on Nov. 29 for the first community-owned solar garden in Colorado Springs. Among others attending the groundbreaking were Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, and other Colorado and city officials—as well as members from an Occupy movement, presumably from Denver.

As Hickenlooper took the stage Occupy (apparently) Venetucci Farm interrupted.

“This coup is the result of the collaboration between the federal government, Wall Street and the Federal Reserve. We have seen Wall Street reap record profits, while the American small business is becoming extinct,” a member said.

SunShare is a young business, and the project is sponsored by a local bank.

“We are at the first solar garden announcement [for Colorado Springs] right now,” Hickenlooper said. “I can only imagine the number of people that told [SunShare founder David Amster-Olszewski] it wouldn't be possible. That dream and the tenacity that he demonstrated in making that dream a reality is something I've seen time and again with small business people.”

David Amster-Olszewski was in attendance as well.

“I'm flabbergasted at the number of people that are here today,” said Amster-Olszewski, a young entrepreneur who founded the company earlier this year.

SunShare allows local residents to invest in parts of a larger array, hence the term community solar garden. Residents can lease a minimum of two panels over a 20-year period for a total of $1,100, with a $400 down-payment. As the owner’s panels produce electricity, the power they produce will offset the owner’s electric use at home.

“The way we used energy for the last 100 years worked. But that doesn't have to be the way we use energy for the next 100 years,” Amster-Olszewski said.

The project has already sold the majority its panels. He anticipates the rest, about 900, will sell in the two-and-a-half weeks.

“A lot of people waited for the land announcements,” he said. ”There were a lot of people that were waiting to see if this was actually going to happen.”

The project is scheduled for completion on Dec. 15.

“People will start seeing the energy credits on their bills in mid-January,” he said.

The panels, based on current energy trends, are anticipated to pay for themselves in about 10 to eleven years.

For those that miss out on the first opportunity, there are more coming.

“We have another project planned in Colorado Springs that we'll start construction on probably in January,” said Amster-Olszewski. “Then once the state regulations pass from the Community Solar Garden Act that was passed in the legislature last year, we plan to move up to Denver, Boulder and Pueblo.”

Hickenlooper signed the legislation into law earlier in 2011.

Photo: Chris Meehan / Clean Energy Authority.