Xcel approves $200M Colorado solar power project in Pueblo County

Xcel Energy said Tuesday that it plans to buy power from a $200 million solar installation to be built near its power plant in Pueblo County. The move underscores Xcel's move to focus on utility-scale solar, which the utility says is two to three times more cost-effective than rooftop solar. "This large-scale generating facility provides the advantage of renewable energy at a price that is right," said David Eves, chief executive officer of Xcel's Colorado subsidiary, said in a statement. Rooftop solar installers and leasing companies have been critical of Xcel's actions. The energy company is seeking to cut the "net meter" payment for electricity put on the grid by new rooftop systems. "Xcel would have saved its customers money if they'd invested in rooftop solar instead of this utility-scale plant," Meghan Nutting, policy and electric markets director for SolarCity, the largest solar lease company in the state, said in an e-mail. Edward Stern, president of the Colorado Solar Industries Association, said that "utility solar is key, but Coloradans need the option of installing solar on their homes." The project, to be built by Radnor, Pa.-based Community Energy, will meet 70 percent of the 170 megawatt solar generation goal in Xcel's current renewable energy plan. The plan was approved by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission in December 2013. The 120-megawatt Comanche Solar project will be the largest solar installation east of the Rocky Mountains, according to Eric Blank, president of Community Energy Solar, who is based in Boulder. Community Energy has solar projects in 10 states, including Colorado. The Comanche installation, with a price tag of more than $200 million, will be the largest by far, Blank said. At top performance, the system, slated to come online in 2016, will generate enough electricity to power more than 31,000 homes, Xcel said. "We were told by Xcel that is project was cost-competitive with the alternatives," Blank said. "This may be transformative, where solar becomes a real alternative." The installation, located on 900 acres of private land near the coal-fired Comanche Generating Station — will have about 450,000 photovoltaic panels on carriages that track the sun. Part of the cost-effectiveness of the project comes from being able to tap into the Comanche power plant's substation and transmission lines. "It is a very much cheaper interconnection," Blank said. Read more: Xcel approves $200M Colorado solar power project in Pueblo County - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_25271720/xcel-approves-200-million-solar-power-project-pueblo#ixzz2vyeLV2aT Read The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse Follow us: @Denverpost on Twitter | Denverpost on Facebook