Earlier this week, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet toured the Vestas Wind Towers plant—the world’s largest such manufacturing facility—in Pueblo to to witness innovation (Pueblo Chieftain), but he could just as well have visited a KB Home development. The company announced it will start offering solar-power systems as a standard home feature at 10 developments in California, building on a concept that’s been an option in KB’s Colorado homes for several years (BusinessWeek). The systems will generate enough electricity to cut energy costs for homes by slightly less than a third.

That’s the kind of marketplace progress that’s sure to interest Shaun McGrath, who as of April 1 will become the executive director of the American Solar Energy Society (Daily Camera). McGrath resigned as Boulder mayor about two years ago to become the White House’s deputy director of intergovernmental affairs.

As solar shines across the state, Vestas is tied up in a U.S. District Court in Denver over shareholder accusations that the company inflated its stock value (Colorado Springs Gazette).