I remember staring at a glowing campus power bill during a late night student government meeting and thinking, “Why are we not putting solar on every flat roof in Colorado Springs?” Maybe you have had a similar thought while walking past endless sunshine and slightly worn-out dorm buildings.
If you are a student in Colorado Springs and you want a straight answer: yes, solar can make sense for student projects and for small startups here. The high altitude sun, local incentives, and a growing scene of companies working with electrician Monument CO give you real room to experiment, build portfolios, launch side businesses, and help your campus reduce energy costs. The challenge is less about technology and more about planning, money, and how you design something that fits student life instead of fighting it.
Why Colorado Springs is actually a good place for student solar projects
Colorado Springs gets a lot of sun. Not “kinda sunny” but high altitude, bright, cold-sun days that feel like the light is sharper than usual.
That matters, because:
Colorado Springs has strong solar potential because of high solar irradiance, thin air at altitude, and many clear days per year, which gives better output per panel than many other U.S. cities.
On top of that:
– Many buildings have big, flat or gently sloped roofs.
– The city has a mix of older houses, new builds, and light commercial spaces, which opens room for student-focused services.
– There is a local and state culture that, while not perfect, is fairly open to clean energy experiments, especially if you show real numbers.
For a student, this translates into a few concrete opportunities:
– Campus clubs that design or promote small solar projects.
– Side businesses that help with consulting, monitoring, social media, or customer education for local solar installers.
– Technical projects: data dashboards, IoT sensors, performance analysis, or small hardware tweaks.
– Policy or business model projects: community solar, student-focused financing ideas, outreach to renters, and so on.
You do not need to romanticize it. Solar is just another energy source with wiring, contracts, and spreadsheets behind it. That is actually what makes it a good learning field.
Quick solar basics for non-engineers
If you are not an electrical engineering major, solar can look a bit mysterious. It does not need to.
What a small solar system actually consists of
At a very simple level, you usually have:
- Solar panels that convert sunlight into direct current (DC) electricity
- Inverter that turns DC into alternating current (AC), which buildings use
- Racking that holds panels on the roof or ground
- Wiring, disconnects, and safety equipment
- Metering and monitoring, often cloud based
That is it on the core side.
You can study and work with any of those pieces as a student:
– Business majors can look at costs per watt and payback time.
– Computer science students can work on data collection and dashboards.
– Design students can work on user-friendly reports or marketing for small installers.
– Sustainability or policy students can work on outreach and local regulations.
How people usually pay for it
This part matters if you want to build a startup or propose a campus project, because the idea is usually not “free solar, because climate”.
Most small systems use one of these approaches:
| Model | What it means | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Cash purchase | Owner pays full cost up front, gets all savings and tax credits | Homeowners with savings, some small businesses |
| Loan | Owner finances system and pays monthly, often similar to current power bill | People with stable income and decent credit |
| PPA or lease | Third party owns the system; customer pays for power or a fixed monthly fee | Those who want lower up front cost but may not get full benefits |
| Community solar / shared | Many users share a larger array and get credits on their bills | Renters, students, people without suitable roofs |
For students, the most realistic angles are usually:
– Supporting community solar.
– Helping renters understand options.
– Creating tools that help owners compare these models in simple language.
You probably will not be signing many PPAs as a student, but you might be explaining them.
Where student life crosses paths with local solar startups
Now to the part that actually relates to “startups” and not just “panels on roofs”.
What solar startups in Colorado Springs actually need
Many students imagine that a solar startup is a lab full of new panel materials. Some are. Most local ones are not.
Most local solar companies are closer to:
Practical electrical and construction businesses that happen to work with solar, batteries, and smart home systems, and that need help with marketing, design, data, and customer education.
From what I have seen and heard from small installers, regular needs include:
- Clear, simple content that explains solar to homeowners
- Basic tools or calculators to show savings and payback time
- Process improvements, like digital checklists, scheduling tools, or CRM tweaks
- Visuals: panel layouts, roof mockups, before/after photos
- Monitoring dashboards that people actually open after month one
As a student, you can build those pieces without touching a single live wire. In some ways, that is where the real startup opportunity is.
Skill sets students can bring to solar
Here is a rough guide to how different majors or interests can plug into solar work in Colorado Springs:
| Your focus | What you can work on |
|---|---|
| Computer science / IT | Monitoring tools, APIs, system performance analytics, maintenance reminders, simple web apps for quotes |
| Business / finance | Cost models, ROI calculators, pricing, sales funnels, comparison of incentives, operations planning |
| Marketing / communications | Educational content, short videos, email flows, neighborhood outreach kits, customer journey mapping |
| Design / UX | Dashboards, clean proposals, mobile layouts, branding for small installers, better contract visuals |
| Engineering / physics | System sizing, shade studies, performance testing, wiring diagrams, safety reviews under supervision |
| Environmental studies | Policy tracking, emissions analysis, campus planning, community engagement, grant writing support |
You do not need to “start a company” to work on any of this. You can plug into an existing local installer, do a capstone with them, or spin your work into a side project first.
Student startup ideas around solar in Colorado Springs
This is where many people go too broad. “We will build the next Tesla of solar.” No, you will not, and that is fine.
Better to focus on smaller, grounded ideas that match student time and risk.
Idea 1: Solar education studio for renters and young homeowners
Problem: Most explainers online speak to older homeowners with large houses and long time horizons. Students and young grads in Colorado Springs often rent, move, or buy smaller starter homes.
Possible student-scale solution:
- A website and YouTube channel that breaks down solar options for renters and first-time buyers in the city
- Clear guides on community solar, shared arrays, and what to ask a landlord
- Simple spreadsheets or calculators tuned to local rates and incentives
Revenue paths could be:
– Referral commissions from vetted local installers.
– Paid workshops, maybe run with campus groups or local libraries.
– Sponsored content, once you have a real audience.
It is not glamorous, but it can help people and build your reputation fast.
Idea 2: Solar performance and maintenance analytics
Panels last a long time, but systems do not always perform as expected. Dust, shading from new trees, snow cover, inverter faults.
Many small installers do not have in-house people focused on data and performance.
As students, you could:
Offer a service that ingests data from solar monitoring platforms, spots underperforming systems, and sends clear maintenance or checkup prompts to owners and installers.
What you would need:
– Access to monitoring APIs or CSV exports.
– Basic statistical skills.
– A simple dashboard and alert logic.
– Some understanding of what counts as “normal” for local conditions.
You could price it per system per month, or sell it to installers who want to keep customers engaged.
Idea 3: Solar storytelling for local installers
It sounds soft, but actual stories matter.
Homeowners in Colorado Springs are not short on mailers or ads from solar companies. Many just do not trust them.
Students can help by:
- Interviewing past customers and turning their stories into 2 minute videos
- Designing before/after visuals and clear “here is what actually changed on the bill” charts
- Running small neighborhood info nights with honest Q&A
This kind of “content studio for solar” can start with one installer and grow from there. You would learn sales language, customer psychology, and video skills along the way.
Idea 4: Campus micro projects that act as live portfolios
Instead of pitching a huge campus solar array that will get stuck in committees for five years, start small:
– One solar-powered bench with USB charging and a QR code to student-built data dashboards.
– A bike rack area with a small canopy of panels, again with data visible online.
– A prototype microgrid in a lab building or a student club space.
Each project becomes:
– A test case for your startup ideas.
– A live resume item when talking to local installers or investors.
– A talking point for new student members.
You can fold in IoT, app design, environmental monitoring, or payment systems as needed.
How to connect with real solar work as a student
Thinking about solar is easy. Getting actual projects is different.
Start with who is already doing the work
Instead of building from zero in a vacuum, start with:
- Local solar installers and electricians who handle residential and small commercial work
- Facilities staff on your campus
- Local government sustainability or energy offices
- Community organizations that work on housing or energy justice
A simple outreach email can be:
– Short introduction
– What you study
– One or two skills you can offer
– One clear ask, like “Can I visit a job site?” or “Can I help turn one of your FAQs into a clean online tool?”
If you write three honest, specific emails per week for a month, you will likely get at least one useful reply. Most students never do this, which is why many feel stuck.
Use campus programs, but do not wait for them
Your university may have:
– A sustainability office
– An entrepreneurship center
– An engineering capstone program
– Service learning or community engagement courses
They can all help, but they also move slowly.
You can:
Draft a one-page project proposal, with a clear scope and outcome, and take it to a faculty member or program director who seems even mildly interested in solar or climate topics.
Offer to do the legwork. They bring legitimacy and maybe a bit of funding or course credit.
Still, do not let their calendar be the only timeline. Work on smaller side versions in parallel.
Money, incentives, and why the sums sometimes feel confusing
This part is often skipped in student-level content, yet it shapes what is realistic.
Why payback math feels messy
You have:
– Upfront system cost (panels, inverter, labor, permits)
– Federal tax credits
– Possible state or local incentives
– Utility bill savings, which depend on your usage and future rates
– Maintenance over time
People like clean answers like “solar pays back in 8 years.” That is usually an average over many assumptions.
As a student founder, your job is not to produce perfect forecasts. Your job is to:
– Make assumptions visible and adjustable.
– Let users see best, middle, and worst cases.
– Avoid the temptation to cherry-pick the most optimistic numbers.
If you build tools or content, explain the big assumptions in plain language.
Common cost ranges for context
Values shift over time, but for your mental model, residential rooftop systems in Colorado often land around this area:
| System size | Typical use | Very rough pre-incentive cost range |
|---|---|---|
| 3 kW | Small home, supplemental power | $9,000 to $12,000 |
| 6 kW | Average home | $15,000 to $22,000 |
| 10 kW | Larger home or partial small commercial | $25,000 to $35,000 |
These numbers vary by installer, roof complexity, and hardware choices, but they give you a frame.
If your startup idea includes savings claims, make sure your examples look reasonable next to these ranges.
Risks, myths, and places where students often get it wrong
You asked for honesty, so here it is. There are some common traps.
Myth 1: “If it is about clean energy, people will just want it”
No. People want:
– Predictable bills
– Comfort
– Reliability
– Minimal hassle
If your pitch starts from “save the planet” instead of “here is how your life gets easier or safer,” it often falls flat, especially with time-pressed homeowners or building managers.
You can still care about emissions and climate. You just need to respect how most people make decisions.
Myth 2: “We only need a better app”
Solar problems are not only digital.
A big part of the work is:
– Roof access
– Structural checks
– Permits
– Utility interconnection
– Physical installation on real roofs in real weather
A beautiful app that ignores those parts will not fix much.
That said, a decent app that helps installers handle that complexity better can be very helpful. Just talk to them first and watch how they actually work.
Myth 3: “We should focus only on the newest tech”
Students often want to work on perovskites, bifacial panels, or next-level battery chemistries. That can be great, especially in a lab or research setting.
In real local markets, most customers care more about:
– Reliable hardware
– Good warranties
– Solid installation and support
– Clear contact with a human when something breaks
As a student startup, your edge can be in clarity and service, not just technology.
What a realistic student timeline can look like
If you are trying to figure out “what do I do this semester,” here is one possible path.
First 1 to 2 months
- Read up on basic solar terms and local policies
- Talk to at least 5 people: one installer, one campus facilities person, one homeowner, one renter, one community group
- Keep notes on what confused them or annoyed them about solar
- Sketch 2 to 3 possible project ideas
At this stage, do not write a 20-page business plan. Build understanding.
Months 3 to 6
Pick one narrow project and commit.
This might be:
– A prototype calculator for local homeowners
– A small data dashboard for an existing solar system
– A set of three videos for a local installer or campus building
Ship something very simple, then ask for feedback from the people you made it for.
Try to get one actual paying user or one formal partnership, even if the payment is small.
Months 6 to 12
You have more data now:
– What was harder than expected
– What people actually used
– What they ignored
You can:
Either refine the same project into a real micro startup, or set it aside and start a new one with stronger insight, while keeping the solar context and contacts you built.
This is how many good student-led companies start. Not from a sudden perfect idea, but from cycles of small attempts and course corrections.
Campus culture, roommates, and the social side of solar
It might feel like solar is a “technical” topic. On campus, it is also social.
Using solar projects to connect across majors
Solar touches:
– Engineering
– Business
– Policy
– Design
– Education
If you are honest about what you do not know and invite others in, it can be one of the easier areas to build cross-major teams.
For example:
– An engineering student sizes a hypothetical system for a campus house.
– A business student builds a simple payback model.
– A design student turns it into a one-page flyer.
– A communications student tests the flyer with actual students and refines the wording.
You get something better than what any one of you would build alone.
Expect some pushback and boredom
Not everyone cares. Some people are tired of hearing about “sustainability.”
You might get:
– Roommates who roll their eyes when you talk about kilowatt hours.
– Administrators who say “this is interesting” and then do nothing.
– Installers who are too busy to respond.
That is normal. It does not mean your idea is bad. It just means you need to:
– Shorten your pitch.
– Focus on fewer people who actually care.
– Show small wins instead of long lectures.
Ethics, equity, and who gets the benefits
There is a harder question under all this.
Who actually benefits from rooftop solar in a city like Colorado Springs?
Often it is:
– People who own property
– People with good credit
– People with enough savings to handle upfront costs
If your student startup only makes it easier for well-off homeowners to lower already manageable bills, that is better than nothing, but it leaves a lot of people out.
You can choose to:
– Work on community solar access for renters.
– Help lower-income homeowners understand and avoid bad contracts.
– Partner with local housing groups to install solar where it has the biggest impact on energy burden.
This is not as simple as putting panels on a marketing slide. But it can give your work more weight and also more real-world complexity, which is good training.
Practical next steps you can take this week
To keep this from staying abstract, here are a few direct actions you can take soon.
If you have 2 hours
- List your top 3 skills that could apply to solar work, even tangentially.
- Search for 5 local solar or electrical companies in Colorado Springs.
- Write one short email to one company, offering something concrete like “I can build you a simple spreadsheet that shows customers their system payback using your real numbers.”
You may not hear back. That is fine. Send another next week.
If you have a full weekend
- Visit a campus building with solar (if your campus has one) and find out who managed the project.
- Create a one-page “Solar for students in Colorado Springs” guide, even if it is crude, and share it with a club or residence hall.
- Sketch one small business idea around solar, with a clear customer and price, not just a concept.
Printing a small, ugly zine and handing it out can actually teach you more than perfecting a pitch deck.
If you are planning a full semester project
Try this structure:
| Phase | Length | Main goal |
|---|---|---|
| Research | 3 weeks | Talk to real users and installers; map out their biggest solar questions |
| Prototype | 4 weeks | Build one focused tool or service and test it with a handful of users |
| Refine | 3 weeks | Fix the worst friction points; cut features that no one uses |
| Document | 2 weeks | Write your findings in plain language so someone else can build on your work |
You will get better learning from a modest project that actually interacts with real people than from a giant imaginary startup on a slide.
Common student questions about solar and startups in Colorado Springs
Do I need to be an engineering major to work on solar projects?
No. Engineering helps if you want to size systems or work on hardware. But solar companies also need people who can explain things, run numbers, design tools, or handle operations.
You only need enough technical understanding not to mislead people. That is fixable with some reading and conversations.
Are there real jobs in solar in Colorado Springs, or should I move to a bigger city?
There are real jobs. Many are with small firms that do not show up at big career fairs.
Jobs can include:
– Residential and commercial installation support
– Sales and customer education
– System design and estimating
– Back-office work linked to solar, storage, and related electrical services
If you want a giant corporate solar job, larger cities or national firms might be better. If you prefer smaller, hands-on companies, Colorado Springs can be enough.
Can a student-led solar startup actually make money, or is it just for resumes?
It can make money, but probably not a lot at first.
The more grounded your idea is in a real, narrow problem, the better your chance:
– A monitoring analytics tool with paying pilot customers
– A communications studio working with two or three local installers
– A simple service that helps people compare quotes without spam
If your only product is a deck that says “we will disrupt energy,” then yes, that is basically a resume project.
What is one small, low-risk step I can take this month that would teach me the most?
Offer to help a local solar or electrical company fix or create one simple thing:
– An FAQ page
– A budget calculator
– A short guide for a specific neighborhood
Keep the scope small. Deliver it within 2 to 3 weeks. Ask for honest feedback.
You will learn more from that one real exchange than from reading another ten abstract guides.
What part of this feels most doable for you right now?
