LLM Alum Leslie Weise's Clean Energy Business, Cool Energy, Signs Deal With Xcel Energy to Test Heat and Power System Powered Entirely by Solar Energy

Colorado clean energy developer Cool Energy (CE) will work with Xcel Energy on CE's first pilot field installation of the SolarFlow System in a commercial building located in Boulder, Colorado.

Leise Weise, a 2006 LLM graduate of the Environmental and Natural Resources Law & Policy Graduate Program at the Sturm College of Law, is vice president of CE.

According to CE, the SolarFlow System is a combined heat and power (CHP) generation system sized for residential and small commercial buildings that uses solar energy as its only input "fuel." The system has several novel features, including energy storage and a control system that maximizes customer value by optimally apportioning the system's energy output between heat and electricity depending on the season and weather conditions.

Sam Weaver, CEO and president of CE said, "We are pleased to have Xcel Energy's interest in and support for the SolarFlow System pilot. "The system will not only provide substantial financial relief for homeowners, but also offset the need for utilities to add more generation facilities that are particularly costly during peak consumption periods."

Dennis Stephens, Xcel's director of smart grid investments, said, "Xcel Energy is pleased to be involved in the benefits evaluation of Cool Energy's innovative solar thermal system. The energy industry is particularly interested in the potential to provide dispatchable power on demand at times when energy consumption is high. Cool Energy is developing innovative solutions for the energy challenges our nation is facing, including new technologies for providing power with minimal environmental impact."