In 1996, professional engineer and master electrician Tony Boniface founded Independent Power Systems, a renewable energy installation company based in Bozeman, Montana, which he later expanded to Boulder, Colorado in 2006. His passion for solar energy began during a camping trip in 1988, when he stumbled upon a solar panel pumping water. He was inspired to begin to study alternative energy, and he has continued on that journey ever since.

IPS was integral in making the Holiday Neighborhood in Boulder, Colorado the solar-powered haven that it is. Boniface knows everything there is to know about the functionality of a photovoltaic system, and is always happy to educate people about solar energy. “The sunlight that falls on these panels is converted directly into electricity… the inverters convert the DC electricity that’s produced into household electricity. It flows into the house and then flows to any appliances which are on.” These panels, or electrical generating machines, have no moving parts and will be working for decades to come with virtually no maintenance. Boniface is committed to bringing solar energy to more homes and businesses, and believes that it is “truly is an energy source that we can all be proud of.”