Category Archives: Newsletter Article

Colorado C3E was selected by the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation to receive a general operating grant in the spring of 2020. Foundation grants are awarded by invitation only, so it’s an honor that the Foundation took note of our work and a privilege that we were selected to receive funding.

“We saw value in the mentor-mentee program She’s In Power was implementing,” explained Jordana Barrack, executive director of the Foundation. “The ability to help younger women find positive role models in the clean energy sector truly is powerful. We are excited to help others find inspiration in the work that will define our futures.”

The grant awarded to Colorado C3E is a 3-year funding commitment dedicated to helping the She’s in Power program launch and expand its reach. The objectives of She’s in Power align well with the Foundation’s interests in supporting innovative climate action solutions, helping communities become more climate change resilient and transitioning to a clean energy economy. The size of Colorado C3E is also a good fit for the Foundation’s mission-aligned philanthropy.

“When we find small organizations that are doing important work in our community and can build a relationship with them, we can really help move the needle,” said Barrack.

Colorado C3E is putting the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation grant to immediate use by hiring a dedicated She’s in Power program manager. We are thrilled to welcome Diane Ernst to the team and broaden the impact of She’s in Power.

Find out more about the Mighty Arrow Family Foundation and its vital work for our community at MightyArrow.org.

The nonprofit onexeveryone fosters collective climate action by soliciting small monthly donations, starting at $2, from a large group of people. When we act together, we are all empowered to affect bigger change. Every month, onexeveryone awards all collected funds to an organization working toward climate balance.

She’s in Power is proud to have been the October 2020 onexeveryone recipient with our work to innovate a sustainable community today by developing the diverse clean energy workforce of tomorrow. The donation will be used to kickstart 2021 Power Projects and reduce our community’s carbon footprint.

Learn more and join the climate movement at onexeveryone.org.

2020’s batch of Power Projects included three partnerships with Fort Collins Utilities and the CSU Energy Institute to help our community plan and implement greater solar energy use.

Ishita Kekare and Archana Sajeev measured the impact of installing PV solar systems on homes in Fort Collins. They found that energy consumption after PV installation remained essentially flat (1.5% increase for Kekare and 3% decrease for Sajeev) and more than half of the solar energy generated was transferred to the city’s energy grid vs. used by PV system owners (54% was returned to the grid for Kekare and 58% for Sajeev). This greater understanding of residential energy use and how much PV-generated energy is being transferred to the grid will allow Fort Collins Utilities to increase PV installations to support the city’s climate action plan.

Giuliana Seretti developed a new modeling process that will allow the City of Fort Collins to have a more accurate estimate of our community’s PV system generation. The current model provides estimates on a system-by-system basis. With approximately 2,000 PV systems to account for, making accurate, community-wide PV output estimates is a challenge. Seretti’s updated modeling method will give the city the big-picture view it needs, and at near real-time.

“These projects were all quite technical in nature and led by two master’s candidates and a senior Bachelor of Science student, all in engineering,” said John Bleem of JRB Energy Solutions and the CSU Energy Institute, who was a mentor for all three Power Projects. But any young woman who is interested in climate action is welcome. “Future She’s in Power projects can be quite different, less technical and exploring broader topics. We want to engage young people in STEM and clean energy.”