Noria Energy, a floating solar developer and technology provider, is beginning construction on Aurea Solar, a 50 kW floating solar pilot project in Golden, CO, that will provide renewable energy for local water utility operations. Built with Noria’s newly developed floating solar tracker technology, AquaPhi®, the project is located on Fairmount Reservoir, a water storage reservoir owned and operated by Consolidated Mutual Water Company (CMWC).
Floating solar offers a cost-effective, space-saving way to generate clean energy, especially for water utilities managing large reservoirs. As demand for energy and water grows nationwide, this technology turns existing water infrastructure into energy-producing assets and also conserves water by reducing evaporation.
The Golden, CO, project is the first in the U.S. to demonstrate scalable, high-performance tracking on water—offering a new frontier for solar deployment in the country. Using Noria’s AquaPhi® technology, the pilot with CMWC will power onsite pumps used to regulate water supply in the reservoir.
Today’s conventional floating solar systems are static and do not track the sun. AquaPhi® allows floating solar systems to track the sun across the sky by rotating the solar islands, increasing the system’s energy output by 10-20%. It is easy for installers or asset managers to deploy, and it can be added to any floating solar project—including as a retrofit to existing projects to boost their performance as well.
CMWC sees the potential of floating solar as a solution for both energy and water conservation. “We are excited to embark on the prospects of floating solar as a means to not only produce and conserve energy but also to improve our water supply by reducing how much is lost to evaporation,” said Jarod Roberts, CMWC’s Chief of Water Resources.
Noria is building the project in partnership with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit leader in renewable energy access, workforce development, and community empowerment, as well as Hazelett Marine, a leader in mooring solutions for floating solar. These partners bring valuable engineering and installation expertise, local solar jobs and training, and reliable technology for ensuring system integrity and stability on the reservoir.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with our partners CMWC, GRID Alternatives, and Hazelett to deploy our powerful technology that helps make clean energy more accessible to more customers,” said Noria CEO Ron Stimmel.
The 50 kW project is scheduled for commissioning in September 2025 and will support CMWC’s mission to deliver clean, safe, and reliable water to over 100,000 customers in the greater Denver area—while also demonstrating the potential of floating solar tracking systems nationwide.
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