Xcel Energy is retiring two coal-fired plants in Colorado and adding 850 megawatts of wind power and a 200-megawatt solar concentrating power plant -- one of the world's largest -- instead.
It’s the company’s first stab at utility-scale solar. Even better: It’s the first time a utility in America has volunteered to shut down a coal plant (let alone two) to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
Here’s a pleasant surprise: Xcel Energy is retiring two coal-fired plants in Colorado and adding 850 megawatts of wind power and a 200-megawatt solar concentrating power plant -- one of the world's largest -- instead.
It’s the company’s first stab at utility-scale solar. Even better: It’s the first time a utility in America has volunteered to shut down a coal plant (let alone two) to slash greenhouse gas emissions.
And therein lies the point. The announcement suggests a serious intention from one of America’s largest coal burners to turn the tide of fossil fuels at a time of economic and energy danger for the nation.
Keep in mind: Xcel Energy isn’t exactly small potatoes. It’s the fourth-largest combination natural gas and electricity company in the nation, generating some 60 percent of its power from coal and serving eight Western and Midwestern states. And now -- thanks in part to the State of Colorado and Governor Bill Ritter’s climate leadership -- Xcel Energy may be on the forefront of real change.
Back in 2004, Colorado passed a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), forcing state utilities to generate 10 percent of their power from clean energy by 2015. Xcel Energy, the state’s biggest utility, put up a tough fight. But in the end, it hit the state renewable energy target in 2007 -- a full eight years ahead of schedule.
So what happened this year when Colorado sought to double the standard to 20 percent by 2020? Xcel became the law’s biggest champion.
The Washington Post explains why in this piece published last week:
Once Xcel executives began to come to terms with the new rules, they discovered that federal tax credits made wind power affordable, especially in relation to rising natural gas prices. The cost of wind power is relatively constant and provides a hedge against future emissions regulation.
Now for the bigger picture behind Xcel’s clean energy conversion:
The politics and economics of energy are shifting here [in Colorado] in ways that foretell debates across the country as states create renewable-energy mandates and the federal government moves toward limiting carbon emissions. One advocate calls Colorado "ground zero" for the looming battle over energy.
Evidence of that keeps piling up. Just last week Danish wind turbine maker Vestas announced that it's pouring $120 million into a new turbine factory in Colorado, creating 1,350 new, green-collar jobs.
Welcome to the future in the whole of America? Could very well be, especially now that half of all US states have RPS policies in place, with more joining the roster each year.
(Source: Rocky Mountain News)
The article "Welcome to the Future: Xcel Energy Shuts Down Coal Plants for Solar and Wind" originally appeared here.