Talking solar at the Colorado Prepper Expo

Here’s what we learned at the first annual Prepper Expo in Pueblo

October 24, 2025

Two people stand at a table displaying signs about solar power at the first annual Colorado Prepper Expo in Pueblo — Staff | TPIN

CoPIRG and Environment Colorado organizers attended the first annual Colorado Prepper Expo at the State Fairgrounds in Pueblo. Our team was there to learn, make connections and share information about our Solar Strong campaign to encourage solar panels and battery storage as a clean, reliable power source.

Whether Expo attendees were there to learn about resources for preparing for the increasing number of weather-related power outages or for something more catastrophic, our team found many of the people we spoke with were already benefitting from solar power.

Personal stories about solar power and self-sufficiency

One family shared how they use solar power and battery backup during their frequent family RV trips. Others live off-grid full-time and rely on solar panels and batteries to provide some or all of their electricity. We spoke with a rancher from Wyoming whose utility bills had been extremely high due to needing to keep water sources for livestock from freezing during the winter. Now, dozens of solar panels provide energy to the ranch while slashing the family’s utility bills.

Clearly, benefiting from solar power isn’t about merely keeping the lights on but also about providing power to heat homes, care for animals, prepare and safely store food and medications, keep critical medical devices running, and more.

Some common themes we heard were that solar power is a common-sense source of clean energy that can increase your self-sufficiency and how red tape can make it unnecessarily difficult to take advantage of solar power. When we brought out our petition calling on utility companies to make it easier for people to install solar panels and battery backup, a lot of heads were nodding.

An all-terrain vehicle with weapon outside the State Fairgrounds Pavilion in Pueblo with a sign for the Colorado Prepper Expo — Outside the Colorado Prepper Expo in Pueblo Staff | TPIN

a man in a white t-shirt and camouflage hat uses solar panels and a battery to plug into his RV — A man powers his RV from solar panels and a battery Staff | TPIN

A woman interviews with a radio DJ at the KILO booth at the Colorado Prepper Expo — Advocate Kirsten Schatz does a live interview at the Colorado Prepper Expo Staff | TPIN

In addition to all the great stories people shared about their personal experience with solar power, here are three things we learned about being prepared:

Your personal prepper plan will depend on many things, including how many people are in your family, where you live (here in Colorado, we’re not especially worried about tsunamis, for example), and what type of event you’re working to prepare for. Expo Speaker Bill Christie had lots of tips for customizing your plan based on these kinds of factors.
Shelter, clean water, food, medical supplies and knowledge, and a reliable power source were some of the top concerns that attendees and Expo speakers were looking to address. Start thinking about how you can empower yourself, your family and your community to be more self-sufficient on each of these counts.
Get a goat! During Rory Scoles’ talk, he shared that when people ask him what single step they can take, having one or more goats has got to be high up on the list (despite how annoying he said they can be). They’re easy to handle and can provide a great source of nutrition.