COSEIA joined Governor John Hickenlooper today as he signed Senate Bill 252 into law

Governor signing 252 today COSEIA Executive Director Edward Stern (left) joined Senate President John Morse, Representative Crisanta Duran, and other renewable energy advocates for the signing of Senate Bill 252 today DENVER- COSEIA joined Governor John Hickenlooper today as he signed Senate Bill 252 into law. COSEIA worked to pass SB 252, which will double the Renewable Energy Standard, from 10 percent to 20 percent for Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, the wholesale energy provider to most Colorado electric co-ops, and Intermountain Rural Electric Association, the largest distribution cooperative in the state. By 2020, these large energy providers will be asked to come closer to the 30 percent Renewable Energy Standard that Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy are well on their way to meeting. The legislation includes the same 2 percent cap on rate increases applied to Xcel. The bill is expected to create new opportunities for COSEIA members of all sizes. Utility-scale solar companies will benefit through the increase in total renewable generation required by Tri-State and through incentives for choosing solar. The legislation will also create opportunities in rural Colorado for COSEIA's residential and commercial installers through the Distributed Generation carve-out. Distribution cooperatives with more than 10,000 meters will have a carve-out of 1 percent of total retail electric sales, and smaller co-ops will have a 0.75 percent DG carve-out. In addition, the bill makes important changes to the state's overall Renewable Energy Standard in an effort to help fend off existing legal challenges. "COSEIA worked to pass Senate Bill 252 and it was an honor see it signed by the Governor today, ''said COSEIA Executive Director Edward Stern. ``We believe this bill will make solar more affordable, and it is one step to help grow solar industry jobs and economic development across the state." COSEIA members who work in co-op territories predicted the measure will bring many benefits to rural Colorado. "SB 252 is a common sense market- driven solution to making the grid more stable and diverse with more local renewable energy,'' said Derek Wadsworth of Durango SolarWorks, an installation company in southwest Colorado working primarily within La Plata Electric Association and Empire Electric Association co-op territories. "Reliable renewable energy like solar should be seriously considered in a variety of settings in rural Colorado,'' said D. Zach Beamon, energy consultant for High Noon Solar. "This measure will help put dollars in rural Colorado and will really count in making solar more affordable for customers of the coops.'' Beamon works in territories of Grand Valley Power, Delta Montrose Electric Association, and Holy Cross Electric Association. The measure will have important spin-off effects for local economies, COSEIA members predicted during debate over the measure. Josh Fabian is President of solar installer Dynamic Integration, LLC in Montrose, an area served by Delta Montrose Electric Association, whose company also works in territories of San Miguel and Grand Valley coops. ``Everyone from the local company that does our placard engraving, the local mechanic that services our trucks, the local office supply company, local hardware stores and electrical suppliers-- all of these community minded businesses would inevitably see an increase of revenue from the adoption of Senate Bill 252,'' he said. "I believe that renewable energy is our future and that there is no better time to be striving toward that future than this moment.'' Senate Bill 252 was sponsored by Senators John Morse and Gail Schwartz, and by Representatives Mark Ferrandino and Crisanta Duran.