How KGNU Built a Community Resilience Hub with Sol-Ark
When disasters threaten Boulder, this community radio station is designed to stay on the air.
For most commercial buildings, backup power is about protecting business operations.
For KGNU Community Radio, it’s about protecting the community.
For nearly 50 years, KGNU has served Boulder and Colorado’s Front Range with local news, music, public affairs programming, and emergency information. As the station planned its new Community Media & Cultural Center in downtown Boulder, resilience became a central part of the design.
Located in a region that has experienced devastating floods, catastrophic wildfires, severe wind events, and periodic power outages, KGNU envisioned more than a new radio station. The organization wanted to create a community resilience hub capable of remaining operational when residents need trusted information most.
Working with Independent Power, KGNU designed a resilient energy system built around Sol-Ark commercial hybrid inverters and battery storage, rooftop solar, and standby generator integration.
“We designed our new building to provide a space that mitigates downtime and supports our crucial Emergency Alert Systems role for the community.”
— Tim Russo, Station Manager, KGNU
Building a Community Resilience Hub for emergency communications
The inspiration behind the project extends far beyond renewable energy.
Following the devastating floods that impacted Boulder County in 2013, and as the community continues to face increasing wildfire risk, severe weather, and utility outages; KGNU recognized that reliable communications are essential during emergencies.
When internet service is interrupted, cellular networks become congested, or power is lost, local radio remains one of the most dependable ways to deliver evacuation notices, emergency alerts, road closures, shelter information, and trusted updates.
KGNU wanted its new facility to continue serving the community under those conditions.
The new Community Media & Cultural Center was intentionally designed to support that mission; not only by keeping the station broadcasting, but by providing a space where the community can gather during emergencies.
The new facility serves as an energy-efficient sustainable resilience hub for the community in times of disaster, with redundant power, a 30 kW solar rooftop, 120 kWh backup battery storage, and a backup generator for prolonged power outages. Even the flood-proofed performance space can serve as a temporary shelter.
designing a commercial solar and battery storage microgrid for mission-critical operations
Independent Power has specialized in complex solar, battery storage, and microgrid installations since 1996, serving residential and commercial customers throughout Colorado and Montana.
The project originally began as a split-phase electrical design utilizing multiple Sol-Ark 15K residential hybrid inverters paired with battery storage.
As planning progressed, however, the electrical engineer determined the new building would be better served by a 480/277V three-phase electrical service.
Rather than complicating the project, the design change created an opportunity.
Independent Power transitioned the installation to Sol-Ark’s commercial platform, simplifying the electrical architecture while providing the flexibility and scalability required for a mission-critical communications facility.
Project Snapshot:
Sol-Ark Commercial Microgrid for KGNU Community Radio
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Installer: Independent Power
Equipment:
- 2x 60K-3P-480V Sol-Ark Hybrid Inverters
- 30 kW Rooftop Solar
- 120 kWh of Sol-Ark L3 HV ESS
- 80kW Standby Generator
One of the station’s biggest technical requirements was maintaining uninterrupted operation for sensitive broadcast equipment.
Unlike many commercial buildings, even brief power interruptions can cause broadcast servers and communications equipment to reboot.
Small UPS units protect the most sensitive server equipment, while the Sol-Ark hybrid inverters rapidly transition the building loads between utility power, batteries, solar generation, and generator backup.
For Independent Power, Sol-Ark’s integrated architecture simplified what otherwise would have required multiple independent systems working together.
Key advantages included:
- Fast transfer times
- Integrated generator support
- DC-coupled solar
- Flexible battery integration
- Commercial-scale power
- Strong technical support
- Modular expandability
Future battery expansion has already been planned, allowing KGNU to significantly extend backup runtime as future needs evolve.
how independent power and sol-ark delivered a resilient energy solution
Because this was one of the first systems of its kind in the City of Boulder, collaboration between the project team, local officials, and Sol-Ark engineers became an important part of the process.
Independent Power worked closely with building engineers, code officials, and fire authorities throughout the design and permitting process. Sol-Ark’s engineering team provided technical guidance and participated in discussions to ensure the system met both operational and code requirements.
For KGNU, choosing Independent Power and Sol-Ark meant gaining partners who understood the project’s broader mission.
“Independent Power and Sol-Ark provided important technical and engineering expertise and the cutting-edge equipment to build out this innovative resilience hub and complete the KGNU vision for our Community Media & Cultural Center.”
— Tim Russo
Early Results: reliable backup power and greater energy resilience
Although the facility has only recently become fully operational, early performance has been encouraging.
Independent Power reports that the building has demonstrated better-than-expected efficiency, with surplus solar production during the early summer months.
The hybrid system was intentionally designed for future expansion, allowing additional battery storage to be added to further increase resilience during extended utility outages.
While lower energy costs and sustainability remain valuable benefits, the project’s greatest success may be measured differently.
The system provides confidence that KGNU can continue serving Boulder during emergencies, keeping trusted local information on the air while offering a resilient gathering place for the community.
Beyond emergency preparedness, the new facility is designed to foster community dialogue, cultural programming, and public engagement while providing trusted information during disasters.
how commercial solar and battery storage strengthen community resilience
As communities across the country face increasing threats from severe weather, aging electrical infrastructure, and natural disasters, resilient public facilities are becoming more important than ever.
KGNU’s new Community Media & Cultural Center demonstrates how solar energy, battery storage, hybrid inverters, and backup generation can work together to protect more than a building, they can protect a community’s access to trusted information when it matters most.
For Independent Power, the project highlights what’s possible when thoughtful engineering meets advanced energy technology.
For KGNU, it represents something even greater: confidence that when the next emergency arrives, the station will be prepared to remain on the air, keep its doors open, and continue serving the Boulder community.