Colorado Cleantech Industries Association awarded Abound Solar its High-impact Cleantech Company of the year award at a ceremony in Denver on Oct. 19.

Colorado Cleantech is a new organization, only in its second year, dedicated to promoting the clean technology industry in Colorado and establishing the state as a key player in the growing national green economy.

The organization chose Abound Solar, based in Loveland, Colo., for its top corporate prize because it has established itself on the national stage, said Christine Shapard, Cleantech’s executive director.

“We wanted to make sure that whatever company we chose was also recognized nationally,” Shapard said. “We want to promote the idea that Colorado is the place for green technology.”

Abound was nominated for the Cleantech award by community members. Tuesday’s awards were the first ones presented by the new organization.

“It was the first annual,” Shapard said. “We want to do this every year.”

She said the selection committee was particularly impressed by Abound Solar’s fundraising ability. The company has received millions of dollars in federal and grant funding and will launch several new projects in the coming years, creating more than 500 jobs in Colorado and Indiana.

Abound specializes in large- and utility-scale commercial projects, manufacturing thin-film cadmium telluride solar modules, according to the company’s web site.

“We believe we can transform the way energy is generated,” the company’s site states, “and improve the health of our planet, while brightening the lives of people around the globe by ensuring a supply of clean, competitive, and renewable energy.”

Abound is one of seven companies in the country providing panels to Chevron Energy’s Project Brightfield, consisting of 7,700 solar panels outside of Bakersfield, Calif. That high-profile project was among the work Abound does that made it a good candidate for Cleantech’s top company award.

Cleantech also gave awards to smaller clean technology companies in Colorado, Shapard said. It awarded its Breakout Cleantech Company of the year award to Ice Energy, specializing in energy storage and its Emerging Cleantech Company of the Year to VanDyne Superturbo, which employs cutting-edge technology to produce energy.

“Abound just really impressed us,” Shapard said.

Image courtesy of Abound Solar.