Colorado Solar Industry Sees Rapid Expansion in 2016

Happy Holidays and Best Wishes for A Peaceful 2017… from the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. It’s been quite a year and we hope you can take a break from the tumultuous times and enjoy some rest with family and friends this season. We are grateful for your support which has led to another banner year for solar in Colorado and the nation. Colorado climbed up to 5th among states in installed capacity in the third quarter of 2016, which was solar’s biggest quarter ever nationally. The U.S. installed 4,143 megawatts (MW) of solar PV in the third quarter to reach 35.8 gigawatts (GW) of total installed capacity… enough to power 6.5 million American homes, according to GTM Research. Early in the year, COSEIA and other solar advocates were deeply concerned about three major proposals from Xcel Energy. More than 200 people joined us to “Stand up for Solar” on the steps of the Capitol. But we spent all summer negotiating with the utility, and the Colorado Public Utilities Commission issued a written order November 23 approving a landmark settlement between Xcel, COSEIA, and nearly two dozen other parties that we believe will provide a good framework for solar growth. What comes next? COSEIA is appealing one part of the written order to make clear that distributed renewable energy — beyond the three-year plan in the settlement — will be acquired separately from the pending Electric Resource Plan. Many provisions of the settlement will take effect early in the new year. Check out our website for summaries of provisions, copies of tariff sheets, a copy of the entire settlement agreement and a copy of the commission’s order. Some of the provisions are still being worked out. Two new voluntary residential rates will start in a few months after customer education materials are developed… and we will keep you posted. A stakeholder group is still working on hammering out policies for battery storage systems.

San Miguel Power Association, GRID Alternatives, Colorado Energy Office partner on low-income community solar project

San Miguel Power Association (SMPA), GRID Alternatives Colorado (GRID) and the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) today announced the development of a community solar array that will lower the electric bills of qualified low-income residents in SMPA’s service territory. The project is not only part of a statewide initiative to reduce energy costs for utilities’ highest need customers, it is also an effort to turn a limited-use site into a clean energy generator. With an unwavering vision to reclaim a local landfill, San Miguel County worked with its partners in project development to turn a “brownfield” into a “greenfield” and harness renewable energy that will help the local community for decades to come. Project supporters also include Energy Outreach Colorado, the Telluride Foundation and EcoAction Partners. According to SMPA Chief Executive Officer Brad Zaporski, the rural electric cooperative has been looking to increase its local renewable energy generation portfolio in a way that makes the resource available to a larger portion of its members and keeps utility bills affordable. Turning an old landfill into a site of local clean renewable energy generation adds an additional layer of benefit to the community and the environment. “SMPA has long been a leader in energy efficiency and renewable energy,” said SMPA Board President Rube Felicelli. “We are now making home efficiency upgrades and local renewable energy readily available to our lower income members through SMPA’s ‘IQ’ or ‘income-qualified’ Weatherization and Solar Programs. We are excited to join with our partners to reduce our carbon footprint while also reducing the financial burden of high electrical bills on local families in need.” “When we see projects like this, we are filled with optimism,” said Sandy Stavnes, Acting Assistant Regional Administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “With this project, community partners came together to turn property that had limited reuse potential into something that will provide energy to community members in need as well as significant environmental benefits. A bonus is the solar panels on top of the landfill will assure the landfill cover is maintained.” This is the sixth low-income community solar demonstration project developed in partnership with local utilities through a $1.2 million grant GRID Alternatives received from CEO in August 2015. Each project is piloting a slight variation on the low-income community solar model to address the unique needs of rural utility service areas and their customers. The projects selected are both affordable and scalable for utility partners and offer great potential to expand across the state. “This project, with its multiple bottom lines—energy cost saving for families, renewable energy, brownfield reclamation, and local solar job training—is a win for the whole community and a model for the state and the nation,” said Chuck Watkins, Executive Director of GRID Alternatives Colorado. “This demonstration project with GRID and SMPA reinforces our low cost approach to community solar, which blends the delivery of clean-generated electricity and assisting our neighbors in need,” said Colorado Energy Office Director Jeff Ackermann.

Chairman of Colorado Public Utilities Commission to resign

Joshua Epel, chairman of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, said Tuesday he will resign from the commission effective Jan. 1. “Joshua Epel has been instrumental in transforming Colorado’s business climate and growing our economy,” Gov. John Hickenlooper said in response. “He helped modernize the state’s regulatory environment with consistency and thoughtfulness, giving Colorado a competitive advantage for any business considering relocating or growing." Hickenlooper appointed Epel chairman of the PUC in January 2011 and reappointed him in 2014. Prior to that, Epel chaired the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, to which he was appointed in 2007. Epel on Tuesday told the Denver Business Journal that he’d been thinking about stepping down from the PUC for three or four months. “There are times when you accomplish what you want to accomplish and I feel very comfortable that’s what we’ve done at the PUC,” Epel said. “We’ve had major dockets this year and it’s time to try a new adventure.” Epel did not say what "new adventure" he has in mind. The commission oversees the regulation of some aspects of public transportation, such as taxis and ridesharing companies Uber Technologies and Lyft; electricity issues and the state’s two investor-owned utilities, Xcel Energy Inc. (NYSE: XEL) and Black Hills Energy, part of Black Hills Corp. (NYSE: BKH); and telecommunications, including land-line telephone service. During Epel’s tenure, the PUC oversaw the entry of Uber and Lyft into the Colorado marketplace, and during the last several months has been reviewing Xcel’s multi-pronged effort to update its technology and add more renewable energy. Epel said the major work done this year by the commission included the PUC’s approval of Xcel’s request to build the 600-megawatt Rush Creek Wind Farm, which will be Colorado’s biggest wind farm, as well as a sweeping settlement involving Xcel and the solar power industry to add more solar power in Colorado, and a decision in November on Black Hills Energy’s request to raise electric rates. “Commissioner Epel’s service to the state is appreciated. We wish him success in his future endeavors,” Xcel said in a statement Tuesday. The PUC also reformed state telecom regulations during Epel’s time as chairman. In 2012, it removed state limits on rates that local companies can charge for local landline phone service in areas found to have multiple competing carriers. The changes let the market determine the rates for residential landline service in Front Range cities for the first time. Epel also championed shifting state subsidies reimbursing telecoms for rural landline service to supporting high-speed internet in underserved rural areas. Epel serves on the PUC with Glen Vaad, who began his appointment in January 2014 and whose term expires in January 2017, and Frances Koncilja, whom Hickenlooper appointed in January 2016. Some of the commission meetings have been contentious in recent months, onlookers have said, including one in late November that ended with the PUC cutting Black Hills’ request to raise electricity rates. Black Hills, which serves customers in southeastern Colorado, had sought an increase of $8.5 million a year. The commissioners approved a rate increase of less than $2 million a year over complaints from Koncilja, a Denver lawyer and Pueblo native, who wanted more cuts and said the state commission has been too agreeable in past rate requests from the electric utility, according to a story about the decision in the Pueblo Chieftain. Epel said the conflicts didn’t contribute to his decision to move on. “You look at what I have accomplished — or we, the group effort at the commission — and there are certain things that I’m proud of, like the decarbonization of the economy, putting on cost-effective renewable energy and cost savings for the state,” he said. “That is what I set out to do and it’s time to try something different. I’ve been doing this for six years,” Epel said. John Nielsen, the clean energy program director for Boulder-based Western Resource Advocates, in a statement said Epel had a distinguished career, both in the private and public sector. “Under his leadership, the Colorado PUC has continued to advance Colorado’s position as a national clean energy leader. Over the course of Chairman Epel’s tenure, Colorado utilities have acquired significant new renewable resources, encouraged thoughtful expansion of the rooftop solar industry, and undertaken significant investments in energy efficiency. We thank him for his service to the state,” Nielsen said. State Senate President-Elect Kevin Grantham (R-Canon City) said that the Senate's Republicans "will ensure that any new appointee to the Public Utilities Commission is firmly committed to making the well being of Colorado ratepayers their top priority. "Our most vulnerable citizens and small businesses rely on affordable energy. We also believe the Public Utilities Commission should be prepared to participate as a full partner in a broad regulatory reform agenda moving forward,” Grantham said. The Senate must confirm the governor's appointee.

Colorado regulators sign off on new solar agreement with Xcel Energy

Earlier this year, Xcel Energy and a broad group of community and renewable energy advocates reached an agreement on a plan that should increase the use of solar energy and lower bills for some customers. Wednesday, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission signed off on that deal. Here are the major features of the plan: A pilot program to test two new strategic billing models. One would charge more during peak times, such as morning and early evening. The other would charge more based on an increase above typical use, regardless of the time of day. These programs give customers ways to reduce their bills while helping Xcel better manage power demand. It keeps net metering, which allows customers who have solar panels to get credit against their electric bills for the power they generate, without adding a separate grid charge to make up for some of Xcel’s costs to maintain system infrastructure for all customers. (Solar advocates were really against the grid charge.) It expands Xcel’s solar energy offerings by adding up to 342 megawatts of new solar power between 2017 and 2019. Xcel had 440 megawatts of solar capacity in its system at the end of last year, including 190 megawatts of utility-scale solar installations. Another 522 of utility-scale solar is scheduled to come on line this year. It offers customers the option to voluntarily pay more on monthly bills to support solar power, similar to its existing wind energy program, Windsource. It reduces wind energy premium pricing from $2.16 to $1.50 per block of 100 kilowatt hours. It includes plans to work with the Colorado Energy Office to make solar more accessible for low-income customers. It proposes to come up with standards to connect batteries capable of storing energy for a home or business to the grid. It calls for a tariff — or price structure — for recycled energy projects in Colorado to take advantage of waste heat generated by manufacturing. The entities that signed off on the agreement include the cities of Denver and Boulder. In a press release about the decision, the PUC emphasized the importance of solar being competitive with other sources of electricity. “While the settlement expands the development of solar energy in Colorado, the Commission added protections that limit the cost impact to ratepayers and preserve the ability of the PUC to determine in the future the fairness of proposed changes to how ratepayers will pay for the energy they use,” the PUC said. “The Commission also emphasized that future acquisitions of renewable energy should be proposed through the Electric Resource Plan (ERP) process, where resources have to be bid competitively and evaluated against other potential resources.” In recent years, Xcel has been able to add solar and wind above and beyond the state renewable energy requirements as the cost for those power sources comes down and becomes competitive with gas and coal. “The decision today is great for all of the parties that participated in this process, but it is particularly beneficial for our Colorado customers,” Xcel Regional Vice President Alice Jackson said in prepared statement. “The decision will allow us to give our customers more control over their energy choices, one of the key components of ‘Our Energy Future.’ The settlement also meets our other goals, as it will bring more renewable and carbon-free energy to Colorado through the use of new technologies, and it will provide affordable and reliable energy to further power the state’s economy.” Western Resource Advocates also praised the deal. “Plain and simple this means more clean and affordable energy for Coloradans,” President Jon Goldin-Dubois said in a press release. “Today’s decision also breaks the stalemate between utilities and rooftop solar interests by advancing fair rates for rooftop solar, customers, and the utility.”

Wind generating a double-digit share of Colorado’s power supply

Wind energy is climbing across the United States, with 11 states in 2015 getting at least 10 percent of their total electricity from wind farms, according to the U.S.. energy Information Administration, an arm of the U.S. Department of Energy. Just five years ago, only three states had at least 10 percent of their electricity produced by wind farms, the EIA said. In Colorado, 14 percent of the power produced in the state came from wind, the EIA said in a report Wednesday. The leader was Iowa, which had 31 percent of the state’s power coming from wind farms. In Texas, the state where 24 percent of the nation’s wind-based electricity is produced, saw renewable energy make up 9.9 percent of its overall electricity generation in 2015. Nationwide, the percentage of wind-based power in the portfolio has risen every year since 2001, the EIA said. During 2015, wind power reached 4.7 percent — more than double its share in 2010, when the percentage hit 2.3 percent. And it’s still climbing this year. Through July, wind has produced 5.6 percent of the nation’s electricity, the EIA said. EIA credited the increase in U.S. wind power to “a combination of technology and policy changes.” The technical improvements have been seen in the wind turbines themselves, which can produce more power, and also via increased access to transmission capacity to carry the renewable energy from rural areas that host the wind farms to urban areas where the electricity is used. State and federal policies have also helped, such as the federal Investment Tax Credit (ITC) and Wind Production Tax Credit, the EIA said. State level policies, including renewable energy goals such as Colorado’s 30 percent by 2020 goal for its large, investor-owned utilities, also have led to more wind farms being built. Other renewable energy sources also produce a lot of power in some states. Hydropower, which in 2015 was still the most common type of renewable energy, made up at least 10 percent of electricity supplies in 10 states in 2015, including more than two-thirds of Washington state’s power supply.

Xcel's Colorado solar settlement nets broad support as regulators eye approval next month

The PUC is still considering the settlement, announced in August, but advocates say it has broad support and regulators did not raise major concerns at a recent hearing. “The settlement’s low-income solar provisions really demonstrate Xcel Energy and Colorado’s national leadership on energy access and equity issues,” GRID Alternatives Colorado Executive Director Chuck Watkins said in a statement. If approved, Xcel will expand low-income customer access to solar energy by by dedicating a portion of its rooftop and community solar garden capacity and Solar*Rewards Program to serve that segment. Other low-income provisions include additional consumer protections, rebates and incentives to reduce bills, expanded job training and efficiency. “The new programs would reduce the energy cost burden of our most vulnerable ratepayers and generate co-benefits like job training opportunities in the fast-growing renewable energy sector," Watkins said. The plan adds 225 MW of solar to the utility's Solar*Connect program, which is a green energy rider that will be renamed Renewable*Connect, and provides for development of 105 MW of community solar gardens with capacity set aside for low-income customers. But the Renewables*Connect program is one area where not everyone is in agreement. Erin Overturf, a senior staff attorney for Western Resource Advocates who helped shape the settlement, expressed doubts over the impact of the green rider program to Utility Dive earlier this year. “The Renewables*Connect (R*C) program is one of the big things Xcel got in the agreement and but solar advocates still argue the regulated utility is trying to compete in the unregulated market,” Overturf said. “It may in some ways compete with some solar developers’ products but it is also distinguishable in other ways. Only time will tell if customers see value in it.”

Colorado gets massive return on investment from energy research 'collaboratory,' report finds

The Colorado Energy Research Collaboratory — which includes three of the state’s universities and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden — has drawn $96.6 million in outside investment over the last eight years and had an economic impact of $194 million, according to a new report. The Collaboratory includes Colorado State University, Colorado School of Mines, University of Colorado Boulder and NREL, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s national laboratory system. Researchers have focused on making fuels from cellulosic biomass; fuels from algae; the development of renewable carbon fiber materials; high-efficiency solar power panels; and reducing of methane emissions from natural gas and other sources. The consortium was started when former Gov. Bill Owens signed into law a measure to fund the Collaboratory, up to $2 million a year for three years, beginning in fiscal 2007. The Collaboratory received almost $8 million. It focuses on clean energy research partnership and the leveraging science and engineering capabilities of each institution in the organization. Together with public agencies, private enterprises and nonprofit organizations, members of the group work toward renewable energy solutions and technologies; support economic growth for renewable industries; and train and educate the next generation of energy researchers and workers. According to the analysis conducted by Brian Lewandowski, an economist at CU Boulder’s Leeds School of Business, the initial state investment of $7.96 million led to another $96.6 million from industry, the Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation and other sources in support of Collaboratory research between 2008-2015. The total impact constitutes a return of 24:1 on the state’s original $7.96 million investment. The report concluded that the state’s investment in setting up the Collaboratory has been “extraordinarily productive: economically, scientifically and technologically.”

First Colorado C-PACE Project Receives Financing

The New Energy Improvement District (NEID) has announced financing for Colorado’s first commercial property assessed clean energy (C-PACE) project. NEID, with support from the Colorado Energy Office, oversees the development of Colorado C-PACE projects. The Boulder County project is a 42,000 square-foot commercial and industrial facility owned by Urban Green Development. The facility will undergo energy improvement measures totaling approximately $320,000, with a loan from Citywide Banks. According to NEID, the total projected savings of 188,082 kWh represents a 15% reduction in annual building operating costs. Energy upgrades will include a 100 kW rooftop solar PV array capable of producing 14,000 kWh each year. New interior and exterior LED lighting will save an additional 48,082 kWh per year. “The availability of Colorado C-PACE financing was the catalyst that drove our decision to make these important building improvements,” explained Scott Kiere, CEO of Urban Green Development. “This investment will increase the asset value, lower energy costs and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.” NEID says Boulder and Adams County were the first two counties to opt into the Colorado C-PACE program. Broomfield, Eagle, Jefferson and Arapahoe counties also have joined the program. Several additional counties are expected to become involved in Colorado C-PACE by the end of the year.

Solar developer protests community solar size in Colorado Xcel settlement

Denver-based SunShare, a developer of community solar gardens, has filed a formal protest challenging a June settlement between Xcel Energy and a wide range of parties that limited new solar fees and pushed for the development of more shared resources, the Denver Post reports. While the settlement allowed private developers to construct solar gardens up to 2 MW in capacity, SunShare says the Colorado Public Utilities Commission should raise that to 50 MW—the size Xcel Energy is allowed to own. More than two dozen parties have signed onto the settlement, including major Colorado solar interests, but support is not unanimous. Only eight of the parties fully backed the settlement, which must now be reviewed by the PUC. A solar settlement in Colorado has been hailed as a "monumental achievement" by some advocates, but not everyone agrees. The Denver Post reports SunShare has filed a formal challenge to the settlement, arguing it gives Xcel Energy inherent advantages of scale in the development of community renewables. Specific to SunShare's complaint, the settlement modifies Xcel's 2017 Renewable Energy Plan to add 225 MW of solar to the utility's Solar*Connect program, which will be renamed Renewable*Connect, as well as development of 105 MW of community solar gardens. Under Colorado rules, existing shared solar programs can be no larger than 2 MW and can only be marketed locally. The R*C 50 MW project would be marketed statewide. By allowing Xcel to develop a community solar facilities 50 MW in size, SunShare argues that Xcel can generate renewable power 40% cheaper while also being able to access the grid at lower cost. The company wants regulators to allow privately-developed community solar garden at the same size as the utility. The compromise would also avoid new grid fees, prevent cuts in payments to solar owners, and institute time-of-use rates.

Boulder Commits to 100% Clean Energy

Boulder, Colorado Mayor Suzanne Jones announced Wednesday that the city would commit to being powered by 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Boulder now represents the 17th city in the U.S. to commit to be powered by clean, renewable energy like wind and solar, and is the second city in Colorado to make a 100 percent clean energy commitment along with Aspen. Boulder Mayor Suzanne Jones was joined by City of Denver's Thomas Herrod who announced that Denver would also undertake plans to examine how to move Denver to 100 percent clean energy. The announcements were made Wednesday at an event hosted by Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter, Environment Colorado, Google Project Sunroof and the Climate Reality Project where more than 30 groups and organizations came together to urge cities in Colorado to commit to 100 percent clean energy like wind and solar. The event was part of the growing Ready for 100 campaign, which is working in communities across the country to get cities to commit to transition to 100 percent clean energy by 2030. "Boulder is committed to achieving 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030, as part of our strategy to achieve 80 percent greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2050. Climate change is the issue of our time, threatening to fundamentally change the way we live our lives. We are already experiencing increasingly intense and frequent wildfires, declining snow packs, droughts and more extreme weather events. Yet, it is increasingly clear that Congress is not going to address climate change; cities like Boulder need to take the lead. We can act as a model for cities across Colorado to craft a sustainable future by shifting our energy model from the dirty fossil fuels of the past to clean, renewable energy," said Suzanne Jones, mayor of Boulder. "A world powered by 100 percent renewable electricity is getting closer and closer every day. In fact, leading cities across the U.S.—including Salt Lake City and as of today, Boulder, Colorado—are making widespread renewable energy a bold new reality," Ken Berlin, CEO and president of the Climate Reality Project, said. " Local commitments to a renewable energy economy play a critical role in ensuring the U.S. meets the emissions targets created in Paris last year to address climate change. Just as important, they help create a healthy environment where citizens and businesses alike can thrive, as Salt Lake City and Boulder have proven. Like these outstanding communities, The Climate Reality Project's 100% Committed campaign is dedicated to building a brighter, cleaner and more prosperous future." With Boulder's historic announcement, seventeen cities, including major cities like San Diego and Salt Lake City, have announced commitments to 100 percent clean energy and five cities in the U.S. have already achieved 100 percent clean energy and are powered today with entirely renewable sources. Boulder's pledge to 100 percent clean energy also includes a commitment to derive energy from local renewable energy resources. The Sierra Club and partners are currently campaigning in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Pueblo to urge leaders to commit to powering local communities with 100 percent clean energy. "Denver recognizes that our goal of 80 percent reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 will require big shifts in how we power our buildings, homes and transportation sector," Thomas Herrod, Climate & GHG Program administrator of the City and County of Denver, said. "We are committed to exploring efforts like 100 percent renewable electricity as part of our 80x50 process and look forward to having our partners here today help us take on this challenge, immediately initiating that work with a draft of results by mid-2017." Colorado has long been a leader on the advancement of clean, renewable energy like wind and solar. More than 300 solar companies currently employ almost 5,000 people in Colorado—nearly twice as many people as the coal mining industry. Prices for solar energy have fallen by 80 percent in recent years. In 2012, private investment for installing solar on Colorado homes and businesses totaled $187 million. Earlier this month, Xcel Energy entered into a landmark settlement with various clean energy and environmental advocacy groups that will provide Colorado consumers with greater energy choice and access to renewable energy like rooftop solar. "The Colorado Sierra Club's Ready for 100 campaign is working to assure a just and equitable transition to a clean energy future city-by-city and town-by-town across the state," Jim Alexee, director of Sierra Club Rocky Mountain Chapter, said. "The cities of Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins and Aspen have all made bold progress and commitments towards that goal. It's critical that we come together in our hometowns as individuals, businesses and community leaders, to assure that this transition happens as quickly and equitably as possible,"

Work Program Trains Unemployed Oil And Gas Workers in Solar Technology

The coal industry has been painted with a bleak brush in recent years. Production has plummeted. Plants have closed. Jobs have been lost. And while mining communities grapple with neighbors moving away, increasingly empty schools and fewer tax dollars, a separate industry is blooming: renewable energy. National rhetoric pits the two energy producers against each other. But in Delta County, one organization is targeting unemployed coal miners in the hope of transitioning them into the solar industry - and leaving politics out of the conversation. "We try to steer clear from that in our classes. We try not to get too political," said Chris Turek, spokesman for Solar Energy International. "We all can agree that the technology works and it's getting less and less expensive every year." The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment in April gave the Paonia-based solar organization a $401,000 matching grant as part of the WORK Act, legislation passed in May 2015 that aims to fill skills gaps in Colorado industries. SEI used the money to start Solar Ready Colorado, an initiative to attract and train not only unemployed miners but also veterans and workers furloughed from the oil and gas industry and other trades.

Executive Order Would Drive Climate Progress in Colorado

As the impacts of climate change intensify in Colorado – leading to diminishing snowpack, more severe droughts, and larger wildfires – the urgency of reducing carbon pollution grows clearer. The good news is that there also has never been a better time for Colorado to transition to a clean energy future and achieve significant emissions reductions, and this week, it appears that Governor Hickenlooper is prepared to begin that process. A draft Executive Order, made public by Politico, would require Colorado’s power sector to achieve carbon pollution reductions of 25% below 2012 levels in 2025, strengthening to 35% cuts in 2030. These are readily achievable targets. California’s legislature just extended its economy-wide cap on carbon – requiring 40% cuts below 1990 levels by 2030. The Executive Order, if finalized, would represent a huge step forward and would strengthen Colorado’s leadership in the growing clean energy economy. Colorado’s power companies are well-positioned to meet and exceed the targets in the draft order through smart investments in clean energy like wind, solar, and energy efficiency. In December 2015, Congress passed a multi-year extension of the tax credits for wind and solar, providing important near-term certainty for the renewable energy industry, and making it an ideal time for Colorado to double down on its clean energy policies and investments. The state could also achieve significant emissions reductions by extending and broadening its utility energy efficiency savings standards to 2% savings per year, with the added benefit of increased bill savings for customers. RENEWABLES ARE CHEAPER THAN EVER Colorado has abundant wind and solar resources, and Xcel Energy, Black Hills Energy, and other electricity providers can purchase zero-carbon, renewable energy at a lower cost than ever before. The cost of building a new wind farm is falling as the technology improves, allowing developers to take advantage of higher-speed, less variable wind at higher turbine heights. The costs of solar technologies have also declined quickly over the past several years. According to investment firm Lazard, the cost of generating electricity from solar has decreased 78% since 2009, and many analysts believe costs will their rapid decline over the next several years. Colorado is fifth in the country in wind industry employment, with over 6,000 workers. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Utilities purchased wind power at an average price of $20 per MWh in 2015, the lowest ever. With prices this low, wind power is the cheapest source of new electricity generation and can save money for customers, even when compared to buying electricity from existing, fossil-fuel fired power plants. Colorado’s existing wind fleet has already saved customers more than $20 million in fuel costs, and Xcel estimated that its proposed 600 MW wind project would save its electricity customers more than $400 million over the 25-year life of the project. Recent analysis from Climate Policy Initiative has found that there’s room to build on that progress: Xcel may be able to replace roughly a quarter of its coal generation (6,000 GWh) with new wind projects, all while saving money for its customers. The analysis also indicates that the utility could do so while maintaining reliability and benefitting its own bottom line. ENERGY EFFICIENCY REMAINS THE LOWEST COST RESOURCE, AND COLORADO CAN DO MORE Colorado also has significant untapped energy efficiency potential. Although Colorado’s utilities expanded their energy savings and energy efficiency program spending between 2009 and 2012, overall savings have been about the same since 2012. Colorado lags regional leaders like Arizona and Utah in energy efficiency policies and programs. Though Colorado has a good policy framework, the ambitions of its policies could be higher. For example, the energy efficiency portfolio standard, when fully implemented in 2018, will require utilities like Xcel Energy and Black Hills to save 1.68 percent of load each year, well below the savings levels of 2.5% and more that other states are demonstrating is achievable. Additionally, Colorado’s co-ops and municipal utilities are not held to an energy efficiency standard, limiting savings for many customers throughout the state. COLORADO SHOULD ACCELERATE THE GROWTH OF ITS LOW CARBON ECONOMY By committing to achieve significant carbon reductions from the power sector, Governor Hickenlooper would be sending a strong and clear market signal, encouraging Colorado to strengthen its leadership position in the low carbon economy. Colorado is already feeling the benefits of its thriving clean energy industry. In 2015, Colorado’s wind and solar industries supported between 11,000 and 12,000 jobs. As of 2014, the wind industry had injected more than $4.8 billion in the Colorado economy, and generates an estimated $7.8 million in annual lease payments to ranchers, farmers, and other landowners. According to the state’s most recent carbon pollution inventory (which tracked 2010 emissions), less than a third (30%) of the state’s emissions are from the power sector, and recent investments have likely cut that proportion. Another 23% come from transportation, 21% from residential, commercial and industrial fuel use, and 8% from oil and gas activity. Coal mining, agriculture and waste management also contribute to the state’s carbon emissions. The state can cut emissions from all of these sources – and do so while boosting the state’s economy and saving customers money. This executive order should start the state’s work in addressing carbon pollution across the board. Governor Hickenlooper’s draft Executive Order, if finalized, represents a hugely important step forward and will cement Colorado’s climate leadership and its position in the burgeoning clean energy economy. With the impacts of climate change already being felt across the state, Colorado can’t afford to wait.

Xcel Energy to test new rate structure in Colorado, expand solar under major settlement

Xcel Energy announced the largest proposed agreement of its kind in Colorado history this week with a landmark settlement agreement with major stakeholders that could change how electricity is priced in Colorado and expand solar energy initiatives. The proposed settlement agreement between Xcel and 22 parties was filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) this week, calling for the testing of new rate designs for residential customers but with no new grid use fees for solar customers. The voluntary plan would offer homeowners energy-based time of use and time differentiated rate programs over three years. The plan would offer lower energy rates when the cost of providing electric service is down due to decreased demand for electricity, and higher rates during times when demand surges. If expansion of the plan is approved, the time of use billing would begin in 2020. “We fashioned a settlement agreement that takes Colorado forward, I believe, for the next three to five years on how we are going to manage distributed energy and how we are going to make sure customers have options to participate in the evolution and utilize the technology that has been developed,” Alice Jackson, regional vice president for rates and regulatory affairs at Xcel Energy, Colorado, recently told Daily Energy Insider. Parties to the settlement include the Colorado Energy Office, solar advocacy groups, and the state’s largest cities and major electricity customers, among others. Hearings on the settlement are expected to be held in October, with a decision by the end of the year. The agreement addresses three cases that the Minneapolis-based Xcel filed earlier this year with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission – Phase 2 of its electric rate case, the Solar Connect program and the 2017 Renewable Energy Plan. The Solar Connect program, to be renamed Renewable Connect, calls for a new 50-megawatt solar-dedicated resource. Xcel would also increase its solar rewards programs, including rooftop solar and community solar gardens, allowing for up to 342 megawatts of new solar between 2017 and 2019. The plan would also reserve a portion of its solar garden offerings for low-income customers. “When you look at the statistics here in Colorado, only about 25 percent of our customers have the ability to put rooftop solar on. Community solar isn’t prevalent across our system where customers have that option wherever they are,” Jackson said. “And from a financial aspect, there are low-income customers who can’t qualify for the financing associated with those other programs. “So this was another alternative for residential customers, and for our large customers as well, for them to have a one-stop shop.” Closely linked to the settlement is Xcel’s Advanced Grid Intelligence and Security initiative, an approximately $500 million proposal filed with the Colorado PUC to allow for better integration of distributed generation on to the grid. Jackson said that a decision from the commission on the Advanced Grid plan is expected in the second quarter of 2017. The proposal calls for the rollout of an advance metering infrastructure that would allow customers’ electric meters to be read more frequently than the current once per month, while new technology called Integrated Volt Var Optimization would be implemented to allow customers’ appliances to be run more efficiently, thereby reducing their energy consumption. In order to support the new technology, Jackson said, implementing a communications network known as a Field Area Network would also be required Jackson said the Advanced Grid plan offers numerous benefits, including allowing customers to have more detailed information on their energy usage. “It also allows us to increase the reliability part of the system because we have much more transparency and we can roll our trucks more efficiently and be able to restore those outages and reduce the outage time that our customers might see,” Jackson said. “And it also expands the capability of the grid to establish the control that we need to have even higher levels of distributed energy resources installed on the system.” Xcel also has an Electric Resource Plan in front of the Colorado PUC, which shows that in 2023 there will be a 600 megawatt need for capacity to fulfill demand on the system. As a result, Xcel expects to solicit bids from renewable energy companies in the middle of 2017. “We anticipate we will be adding probably more wind and solar from that request for proposals,” Jackson said. Xcel also filed a plan with the commission in May for a 600 megawatt wind resource that it proposed to be built on the eastern plains of Colorado. The project is expected to provide approximately $443 million in cost savings to Xcel’s customers on a net present value basis, with those benefits starting in the third year. “This is one of those no regrets investments because it helps our customers take advantage of the federal production tax credit,” Jackson said.

Declining energy sector jobs switching to solar power

DENVER — A program is underway in Colorado to retrain people who lost their jobs in the coal or oil and gas industry so they can get the skills they need to install solar panels. The Colorado Department of Labor and Employment gave a company based in Paonia on the Western Slope a $400,000 matching grant as part of a program to help workers furloughed from other energy sector jobs that are in decline. The money was used by Solar Energy International to start Solar Ready Colorado, which promises to train unemployed miners, veterans and workers in the oil and gas industry. The goal is to recruit and train 350 people for various jobs in the solar industry. Students can take a single course as an introduction to solar power or more than 200 hours of training in the Solar Professionals Certificate Program. Chris Turek, spokesman for Solar Energy International, said the company recruited coal miners because of their focus on safety and experience with mechanics and electrical engineering. Those skills can easily be transferred to the solar industry, he said. "People are becoming more and more open to it because they're starting to realize it's just another part of the energy sector," Turek said. "At the end of the day, we need electricity, and that need for electricity is just growing." Colorado Solar Energy Industry Association President Rebecca Cantwell said solar energy programs are bearing fruit, the Denver Post reported. "We're going to see more and more of this because there's more and more awareness that the coal industry is in real trouble," Cantwell said. Stuart Sanderson, who is president of the Colorado Mining Association, said other jobs like the solar industry usually don't pay as much as jobs in the oil and gas industry or coal mining. The average mining job in Colorado paid $91,000 in 2015, according to the National Mining Association. Solar installers can make up to $25 an hour, or about $50,000 a year. Colorado has about 5,000 solar jobs, mainly installers, and 400 solar companies, according to the Solar Foundation. Those Colorado solar jobs are also expected to grow by 10 percent.

Renewable energy is a jobs bonanza for Colorado

As is the case with almost every election, there is much debate on a variety of issues. But when it comes to American-made energy, all parties can agree that more homegrown renewable power benefits everyone. The good news for Colorado is that the wind and solar industries are booming, and that growth is driving an ever-increasing demand for well-trained workers. Thanks to extensions to the federal production and investment tax credits at the end of 2015, there is now new certainty that Colorado’s renewable energy sector will continue to grow and thrive in the upcoming years. Fellow Coloradoans should note that these policies were extended, in part, due to the bipartisan support of Colorado’s United States Senators Cory Gardner and Michael Bennet. These long-term extensions will continue to help drive down the cost of renewable energy, and create additional demand for new in-state renewable power projects. And with our state’s tremendous wind and solar power potential, Colorado is well positioned to meet that demand. The Colorado wind and solar industries already employ more than 11,000 workers, and the in-state solar industry saw a 16 percent jump in job growth last year alone. Nationally, the US solar industry added more than 20,000 workers in 2015, while wind turbine technician was the fastest growing profession in the country. This isn’t just flash in the pan development; the solar industry projects that it will more than double by 2020, reaching 420,000 workers, and a U.S. Department of Energy report released last year found that the American wind industry could support 600,000 workers by 2050. The most compelling aspect of this job growth is that since renewable energy is produced and serviced locally, most of these jobs cannot be outsourced to another part of the globe. With the price of wind dropping more than 66 percent between 2009 and 2015 and the cost of solar installation falling a whopping 73 percent since 2010, these industries are showing no signs of slowing down. Wind is the number one source of new electric generation capacity last year, while the solar industry installed panels to produce a record-breaking 7,260 megawatts.

Colorado PUC Reverses Rejection Of Xcel’s Solar Settlement

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has unanimously approved a proposed settlement agreement between Xcel Energy and three community solar companies after reconsidering the deal. In February, Xcel announced a compromise with Clean Energy Collective, Community Energy Inc. and SunShare under which the utility agreed, among other things, to procure up to 60 MW of new community solar garden (CSG) capacity in Colorado through its Solar*Rewards Community program this year. The PUC rejected the agreement in March, claiming the proposal lacked sufficient details to support approval. In a press release, the PUC says that new testimony and additional financial and legal evidence presented at a June 1 rehearing adequately demonstrated that the proposed agreement was in the public interest. The PUC says the agreement will spread the benefits of CSGs among as many customers as possible, including low-income and other individuals and businesses that want to promote solar energy. Among the issues resolved by the rehearing were questions about the $0.03/kwh renewable energy credit price and the method for determining customer bill credits for CSGs. Alice Jackson, Xcel Energy’s regional vice president, rates and regulatory affairs, has welcomed the new decision. However, Jackson notes that the details of the approval are still unclear until the written order is issued. “The Colorado Public Utilities Commission’s approval of the settlement is reflective of Xcel Energy’s dedication to always delivering what our customers want – more energy choices,” says Jackson. “The collaborative approach with the parties is appreciated and is important to our energy future in Colorado.” Clean Energy Collective says the aim of the settlement agreement was to address elements of Xcel’s program that had the unintended consequence of prioritizing only certain types of commercial customers. Now that the PUC has approved the settlement, Paul Spencer, Clean Energy Collective founder and CEO, states, “We appreciate the commission’s efforts addressing this important issue and are pleased with their decision. The broad support from political leaders, Xcel Energy, conservation organizations, and others is why Colorado is a leader in community solar and will continue to have a vibrant, healthy industry.” For its part, Clean Energy Collective says it will immediately carry on developing 12 MW of capacity awarded in its 2015 allocation from the utility and will bid for additional Xcel projects allowed by this decision.

Voices before PUC were against Xcel

The voices were about three-to-one against Xcel at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) hearing on June 9. The question at the PUC concerned part of Xcel's package of "Energy Future" filings, and whether it is in the public interest. The voices saying "no" included AARP, the Sierra Club, a distinguished climate scientist, and workers from Colorado's competitive solar industry, as well as many regular citizens who are customers of Xcel. Participants packed the main hearing room plus two overflow rooms. The voices against said that Xcel's proposals actually would slow the adoption of solar, offer perverse incentives for using more electricity, disadvantage people on fixed or lower income, and harm the competitive solar industry. One of Xcel's proposals is to reduce the amount homeowners with rooftop solar receive for putting kilowatt-hours onto the system — the so-called net-metering credit. Xcel claims net-metering harms other customers. Yet a recent study by the Brookings Institution finds that net-metering is actually a net benefit — for the utility and for non-solar rate-payers. With Colorado's installed solar capacity lagging behind New Jersey (three times Colorado's) and even "sunny" Massachusetts (almost twice Colorado's), this is no time for Xcel to be putting on the brakes. As Boulder re-enters conversations with Xcel, we should be aware of what Xcel is trying to do at the PUC. As the climate crisis accelerates, Xcel should be accelerating our transition to 100 percent renewable energy rather than setting up barriers. One of the citizens speaking against Xcel's proposals and in favor of working to stop climate change suggested that the PUC set a docket for removing CO2 from the atmosphere. That might get three-to-one support.

Solar, business advocates overfill hearing rooms to comment on a potential Xcel rate change Proposal would add grid charge to customer’s utility bill

An outsized crowd showed up Thursday afternoon trying to sway the Colorado Public Utilities Commission’s opinion about an Xcel Energy plan to change the way customers are billed for access to the electric grid. Limited to only two minutes for time’s sake, business advocacy groups started the more than two-hour hearing by commenting in favor of the Xcel rate change, saying it would bring transparency and fairness to customer billing. But solar advocates, workers and scientists quickly took over, saying the proposed grid-use charge would discourage people from going solar at a time when renewable energy should be encouraged. “We were here to listen today,” Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz said, adding that Colorado’s largest utility would take what was said to heart. “It was great to get the perspective of the public.” In January, Xcel proposed a tiered, fixed-grid charge depending on a customer’s energy usage over the past 12 billing periods. In return, Xcel will lower the per-kilowatt-hour charge to 3.37 cents, a 1.23-cent drop. The utility argues that solar users, who receive credit for excess energy put back into the grid, aren’t paying for the upkeep of the energy system or for their nighttime usage, instead shifting that cost onto other ratepayers. “We take up issues sometimes out of fairness,” Stutz said. “We don’t think this dynamic is right.” Renewable energy advocates say a fixed charge will undercut the financial value of rooftop solar. Additionally, they point to a two-year process that concluded in August, when the PUC determined that the current system for solar users was fair and that additional charges weren’t needed. A majority of speakers were renewable energy advocates, solar workers or scientists who opposed the proposal, saying it could discourage people from adding rooftop solar, which would severely damage the industry in Colorado. Only a handful of speakers who testified were not associated with either a solar or business advocacy group. Those few expressed split opinions on the proposal. Jim Bunch, self-described as “just a guy down the street,” said he supported Xcel’s proposal. Although he has geothermal at his home, he said Xcel has multiple system costs beyond generating power that still need to be covered. “You’re asking that ratepayer to keep that structure in place because on the coldest day in December and on the hottest day in August, everybody’s going to have a high demand and guess what, they’re going to expect that utility to provide that service,” Bunch said. Michele Haedrich, who has rooftop solar installed at her home, also supported the proposal, saying it would provide more transparency on what customers are paying for. Haedrich said she paid only $8 for electric and received a $53 rebate from Xcel. “I almost feel guilty when I get a credit on my state taxes for using solar,” Haedrich said after testifying. “I almost feel guilty for getting these checks. It’s just so heavily subsidized.” But other homeowners disagreed. “We should be making it easier for people and cheaper for people to adopt these rooftop systems rather than making it more expensive,” said Sandy Hockenburg, who recently signed up for Namaste Solar and is putting a system on her roof. “Really Colorado should be at the forefront of the solar power, not at the back end. This is a major step backwards.” Broomfield-resident John Zukowski said he has been following the case in the paper and is an investor with several properties in Colorado, although his own home does not have the capability of adding solar. He said the Xcel rate change doesn’t honor agreements from last year’s decision. “All I’m asking for is — let solar be a real choice for people,” Zukowski said. Solar workers, some noting that they had moved to Colorado to work after solar companies left Nevada when it removed its benefits for solar customers, testified against the proposition. They said solar energy should be encouraged because it creates jobs and that the state doesn’t want to become another Nevada. Job growth in the solar industry grew 12 times as fast as overall job growth in the U.S. economy in 2015, reaching 209,000 jobs, according to a 2016 annual review by the International Renewable Energy Agency. A second public hearing is scheduled for June 16 at the City of Grand Junction Auditorium from 4-6 p.m. The commission will have hearings starting Aug. 10.

Colorado Solar Advocates Protest Utility Rate Proposal

On Thursday, dozens of Colorado solar energy workers, customers and advocates gathered on the steps of the Colorado State Capitol to show support for solar energy in the state. According to a press release from The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC), the event took place before the first Public Utilities Commission (PUC) hearing on utility Xcel Energy’s proposal to restructure electricity rates, which some solar stakeholders claim will reduce consumer energy choice and put local jobs at risk. “Right now, Colorado is a top ten state for solar jobs, and people are moving here specifically to work in the solar industry,” says Lauren Randall, senior manager of public policy for Sunrun. “Xcel’s confusing proposal would stifle that momentum.” According to the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA), Xcel Energy has proposed increasing fixed charges for all customers while reducing charges on energy used. The group claims that by reducing the portion of the electric bill consumers and small businesses can control through investments in renewable energy and conservation, Xcel is cutting financial incentives to invest. Xcel also plans to introduce demand charges for residential customers, which up until now have only applied to large commercial and industrial customers, COSEIA adds. “We believe public policies should encourage more distributed solar energy in order to provide customer choice, reduced air pollution and a more resilient electric grid,” comments Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of COSEIA. “We hope the PUC will decide Xcel’s proposals are moving us away from those goals and instead support innovative rate policies.” TASC says that Colorado has positioned itself as a clean energy leader and innovation powerhouse in recent years. For example, in last August, after nearly two years of discussions, the PUC decided to maintain the state’s solar net-metering policy. The group says solar supporters worry that Xcel is now looking for “a second bite at the apple” to eliminate rooftop solar competition. An Xcel spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment.

DMEA selected for community solar demonstration project

The Colorado Energy Office and GRID Alternatives announce five community solar projects designed to demonstrate the viability of community solar models that serve low-income households. Delta-Montrose Electric Association, Gunnison County Electric Association, Holy Cross Energy, San Miguel Power Association and Yampa Valley Electric Association have volunteered to build low-income projects totaling 579 kW. Each project is designed to optimize the community solar model to reduce energy costs for the utilities' highest need customers -- those who spend more than 4 percent of income on utility bills -- in Colorado's rural communities. "Colorado has always been a leader in renewable energy, and now we take another innovative step forward as we create community solar models that are more affordable and available to Colorado rural electric cooperatives and the low-income communities they serve," said Colorado Energy Office director Jeff Ackermann. GRID Alternatives received a $1.2 million Colorado Energy Office (CEO) grant in August 2015 to implement low-income community solar, and has played an instrumental role securing agreements from each utility partner. GRID leveraged the CEO investment to attract additional resources from partnering utilities, private funds and in-kind equipment donations. "We have seen a tremendous groundswell of hard-working families wanting solar and the benefits it brings," said Chuck Watkins, executive director of GRID Colorado. "These community solar projects not only provide solar access, they have a community impact. GRID brings savings to families that need it most, job training in a fast-growing industry and clean, renewable energy that benefits everyone." Each utility is piloting a slight variation on the low-income community solar model to address the unique needs of rural utility service areas and their customers. The projects selected are both affordable and scalable for utility partners, and offer great potential to expand across the state. "Working to provide access to locally generated and renewable energy for all of our members, regardless of their income, is part of what we consider the cooperative difference," said Delta-Montrose Electric Association CEO Jasen Bronec.

Solar’s big gains in Colorado, but how it can be sold more broadly

Solar numbers in Colorado are starting to add up. A recent study by the Colorado Energy Office found that 30,000 photovoltaic solar installations exist in the state, sufficient to power 100,000 homes. The combined capacity of 540 megawatts still pales in comparison to the 1,410-megawatt capacity at the Comanche complex in Pueblo and 1,339-megawatt capacity at Craig. Too, some will also point out the obvious: the sun doesn’t always shine. But if solar remains distant as an energy source, it’s now moving rapidly into the mainstream, part of a now fast-moving transition in our energy paradigm. Reduced cost explains much of this greater deploying, according to Rebecca Cantwell, director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. In remarks at the Alliance Center last week, Cantwell pointed out that solar cells today cost 100 times less than they did in 1977, during the last big binge of constructing coal-fired power plants in Colorado. Unlike those big power plants, she pointed out, solar can be deployed on many scales. Collectors are now available that you can set outside on a park bench, to recharge your phone while you toss a Frisbee to your dog. At the other extreme, some utilities are now deploying giant solar farms. Solar has become strong enough that a pilot project, involving a rural electrical cooperative, is being developed with the goal of creating a replicable business model that does not rely upon state mandates or subsidies. Cantwell also mentioned that it would make sense to put solar panels on the city’s tall buildings. She reported that it shouldn’t be that hard, but did not detail what has to be done. But she did point to a “big looming issue,” the need to reform the business model of utilities. Amory Lovins talked about this decades ago, pointing out that utilities should be paid for the services they deliver, not just the number of electrons they deliver. What we care about, he famously said, is that our beer is cold, not how much electricity it takes to chill it. Regulation of investor-owned utilities, now in place for about a century, encourages large-scale but inefficient supply. But this has also worked against expansion of renewable energy, which has almost always been more expensive than fossil fuel-based energy until the last few years. Now, some utilities are plotting their strategies about how to evolve to this new reality of expanded deployment of smaller decentralized energy sources such as rooftop collectors. Xcel Energy earlier this year announced a new program, Our Energy Future. The program has several elements, including new opportunities for customers to buy solar but at the utility-owned installations such as one now being constructed at Pueblo through a program called Solar*Connect. Two pilot programs involving battery storage are also being launched by Xcel. Working in partnership with Panasonic Enterprise Solutions at a site near Denver International Airport, Xcel will pilot a program for commercial customers. The second test of battery storage will be in the city’s Stapleton neighborhood, where nearly 20 percent of homes have rooftop solar. But who will be in charge? In March, at the COSEIA annual conference in Broomfield, Karl R. Rabago, executive director of the Pace Energy and Climate Center, suggested that leaving utilities in charge as we decentralize energy production on rooftop and other locations was akin to the company stores of the old coal-mining towns. “Increasingly, today’s traditional utility looks and feels a lot like that,” he said. Calling that example to mind, Cantwell said that Colorado, after demonstrating among the most brisk of leadership, has been slipping of late. Still, clean-tech companies have been finding Denver and Colorado more broadly attractive. Sunrun last December announced it was relocating from California to an office on the 16th Street Mall. There, it now has 300 of its 4,000 direct employees. It is also looking to hire 800 people, said Walker Wright, the company’s director of public policy. Wright pointed out that Sunrun was courted with incentives by a number of states, including Nevada and Arizona, but chose Colorado. A major draw, he said, was the reputation of Denver as a haven for “young, hip professionals who love tech.” He also noted the high penetration of solar, No. 8 in the nation (compared to 23rd in population). “There’s something in the water here,” he conjectured. For solar to grow, he emphasized, it has to be sold as more than just an answer to an environmental problem. Some favor it for energy security, for example, “We have to push as many angles as possible,” he said. Like Cantwell, he also discussed the evolving battle between distributed energy providers and traditional utilities. And solar, he said, is no longer a “small cottage industry,” but rather a “challenge to utilities in the way that Uber is a challenge to taxi drivers and Airbnb is a challenge to hotels.” Experts say the electrical grid can still accommodate much larger quantities of renewable energy without encountering problems related to intermittency. But for deeper penetration, improved storage techniques will be necessary, possibly including batteries. Wright pointed to work by two major companies, Tesla and Solar City. Elon Musk sits on the boards of directors of both, he said. He suggested that between now and 2019, the price of battery storage will tumble just as precipitously as solar panels did between 2000 and 2009. All of this bodes well for Denver, with its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions 80 percent by 2050. Representatives of Denver’s Department of Environmental Health said current emission sources are: commercial 35%, residential 15%, gasoline vehicles 15%, food production 14%, air travel 7%, fuel production 6%, diesel vehicles 4%, cement production 3%, and waste (including landfills) 1%. Allen Best

Colorado Mountain College: Sustainability studies to sustainable jobs

As diverse as we are, sustainability helps keep the world together. Take Nikki Maline, Bailey Matthews and Mikayla Curtis, for instance. They earned Colorado Mountain College sustainability degrees and now make their livings in energy and science education, solar and green building and providing youth with ongoing opportunities. Sustainability, they said, links them all together. “Our careers are all intertwined and connected,” said Maline. Nikki Maline arrived in Eagle County from Nebraska in 1997 with an Associate of Arts degree from Mid-Plains Community College in North Platte. She had worked in real estate, but it felt more like a job than a career. She spotted Colorado Mountain College’s bachelor’s degree in sustainability studies in Edwards, and set sail. She graduated last May. “It was so perfect,” she said. “It made such sense to me.” These days, Maline is the energy programs coordinator at Walking Mountains Science Center in Avon. She’s sort of an energy coach for individuals and businesses. “I love my job,” Maline said. “It’s a totally different working environment than real estate. I can make a difference.” EARLY EDUCATION TO SOLAR ENERGY Bailey Matthews migrated to Eagle County from Nebraska. After earning her associate degree from Western Nebraska Community College, she came to Colorado and taught special education at Battle Mountain High School for seven years, while taking night classes at CMC. “One of the things I liked about getting my degree with CMC’s sustainability program, was that there was no preaching,” Matthews said. “Mercedes (Associate Professor of Sustainability Studies Dr. Mercedes Quesada-Embid) is brilliant. She teaches without judgment. She gives her students the power to decide.” Possibly the best sustainable thing about Matthews’ sustainability degree is affordability. “I was able to graduate without a huge student loan,” Matthews said. Matthews is the solar project manager at Active Energies in Minturn, working with a team consulting, designing and building solar systems for residential and commercial projects. And there’s another advantage. “I can bring my dog to work,” she said with a smile. SUSTAINABILITY IN ALL ITS FORMS Mikayla Curtis already had two college degrees when she decided to study for a sustainability leadership certificate. Curtis was born and raised here, and graduated Vail Christian High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Puget Sound and her master’s degree in negotiation, conflict resolution and peacebuilding from California State University, Dominquez Hills. Because of her interest and past experience in family and youth development — she had overseen leadership development programs for SOS Outreach in Edwards, for example — Curtis was most interested in studying sustainable social science, such as food systems and cultural equity. “The certificate program pieced together a little bit of everything,” Curtis said. “It relates to sustainable family structures, and what kind of priorities are needed for social equity.” Curtis is the manager of strategic impact with Eagle River Youth Coalition in Edwards. http://www.vaildaily.com

The US Solar Market Is Now 1 Million Installations Strong

Sometime around the end of February, the millionth solar installation came on-line in the United States -- a milestone that says as much about where the solar industry is going as it does about how far the industry has come. “It took us 40 years to get to 1 million installations, and it will take us only two years to get to 2 million,” said Dan Whitten, vice president of communications at the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). “This is a time to mark when the solar industry started to accelerate at warp speed.” At the end of 2015, the U.S. solar market hit a total capacity of 27 gigawatts. That represents just 1 percent of the current U.S. electricity mix, but it could triple to 3 percent by 2020. This year alone, the U.S. solar market is projected to grow 119 percent, which represents an additional 16 gigawatts of new installed capacity and more than double the record-breaking 7.3 gigawatts added in 2015. Over the coming weeks, SEIA will run a campaign called #MillionSolarStrong to raise awareness around the U.S. solar industry’s achievements to date. The campaign includes a social media “thunderclap” and a flagship event in Washington, D.C. on May 3.

Colorado solar company gets another Nasdaq delisting notice

Real Goods Solar Inc. said it's received another letter from the Nasdaq stock exchange, saying its shares could be delisted from the exchange. On Friday, the Louisville rooftop solar-power installation company said it received a letter saying that it doesn't meet the stock exchange's $2.5 million minimum shareholders' equity requirement. In Real Goods Solar's latest 10-K filing, it listed shareholders' equity of $1 million. The company said it has until the end of May to submit a plan of compliance to the stock exchange. It's not the first time this year that Nasdaq has threatened to delist the company: In January, Real Goods Solar was warned that its share price was trading below $1 for 30 straight days.

Solar garden backers may seek bill to improve accessibility

Solar energy advocates may pursue a legislative fix after the Colorado Public Utilities Commission released written details on why it rejected a settlement agreement that community solar garden developers reached with Xcel Energy in February. "We were surprised by the PUC ruling that seems to be restricting more consumer access to solar gardens," said Rep. Faith Winter, D-Westminster, who sponsored a bill last year to allow solar gardens to operate across county lines. Winter said she has requested a legal opinion on whether another bill is needed to permit the kind of rate structure laid out in the settlement. The state's largest utility agreed to pay a renewable energy credit, or REC, of 0.3 cents per kilowatt hour for the power coming onto the grid. Last fall, those same solar developers, in competitive bids, agreed to "negative" RECs, meaning they would pay Xcel Energy instead of the other way around. Solar developers said negative credits can work when solar garden owners are commercial users, but not when they are residential. "The agreement we offered would allow access to a broader base of consumers, particularly low-income and residential consumers," said Karen Gados, chief of staff with SunShare, a solar garden developer. The PUC notes that ratepayers will have to cover the REC costs, and that Xcel Energy already has enough of them to cover its renewable energy obligations through 2020. In its written ruling, the PUC said its interpretation of the community solar garden statute doesn't allow for rates based on class averages as the settlement proposes. Supporters argue using average rates improves the economics in favor of residential participation. When the General Assembly updated the original community solar garden law last year in two separate bills, it didn't change that language. "Given that the General Assembly is presumed to know the pre-existing law, and the interpretations thereof, when it amends or clarifies that law, it is significant that the General Assembly did not amend or clarify this language," the PUC said in its written ruling. Winter counters that the intent of legislators has been and remains increasing constituent access to community solar gardens. "They want more access to renewables and community solar gardens," she said. Gados said unless the disagreement on renewable energy credits is resolved, 60 megawatts of community solar garden capacity that Xcel wants to pursue can't move forward. "SunShare can't subscribe finance and build our system until we have clarity around negative RECs and what the bill credit is," she said. SunShare would prefer residential customers claim half to 80 percent of its solar garden capacity in Colorado versus the current 15 percent. An exception is Colorado Springs. More than half of SunShare's Colorado solar garden customers are based there, due to a more favorable REC structure. Xcel spokesman Mark Stutz said the written decision didn't offer any big surprises. "Xcel Energy continues to support the settlement agreement on community solar gardens," he said, "and we will ask the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to reconsider its decision."

Experts Discuss Solar Outlook In The Centennial State

Solar is strong in Colorado, but industry leaders are not resting. At the recent Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association’s (COSEIA) 2016 Solar Power Colorado conference, speakers talked about the achievements the industry made over the past year and noted that there are still some challenges. The conference, with the theme, “Developing New Markets: Solar Leads the Energy Transition,” ran from March 7 to 9 in Broomfield, north of Denver. Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of COSEIA, opened the conference with a review of 2015 victories. Among the national and local highlights were the following: The investment tax credit (ITC) was renewed, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) upheld net metering without changes, and the Colorado state legislature passed a measure that allows community solar garden subscribers to buy into projects located in adjacent counties. Also, Cantwell said, COSEIA launched the advocacy initiative Solar CitiSuns. She also showed a map of statewide photovoltaic systems. “There are 29,363 PV systems in the state,” she said. “We counted. They’re just about everywhere.” Mecom/AET id596 Former Interior Secretary and U.S. Senator Ken Salazar began his keynote address by praising the association’s work. “I have watched COSEIA grow, and now it’s in its third decade,” he said. “Solar is alive and vibrant, and the nation really watches what happens here in Colorado.” Salazar, quoting a figure from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, said that the industry expects to add 9.5 GW of solar capacity nationwide this year. There has been much progress, he said, but there are some flash points to watch. One is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which the Supreme Court delayed with a stay in February. Another challenge, Salazar said, is rooftop solar and net-metering disputes with Xcel Energy and the costs of updating the grid. “This is an issue today that is not only important for Colorado, but also for the country,” he said. Other speakers noted that although the solar industry is pleased with the ITC extension, there are still issues that need attention nationwide and in Colorado. At the opening plenary session, “What’s Ahead for the Solar Industry,” Jesse Grossman, CEO of Soltage LLC, said the ITC extension answered the question of whether solar will continue its momentum. “The fight is on the state level,” he said. “Colorado was, for a period of time, in the top five states for solar deployments, and currently, Colorado is 14th in the nation. Conversations need to happen right now about lessons learned, [renewable energy certificate] markets, tariffs, solar carve-outs and to focus on what it takes for solar development to move on in a sustained manner.” Willie Mein, owner of Custom Solar in Boulder, Colo., talked about “surviving the solar coaster” and noted that the barriers to deployment are not technology, economics or demand. “It’s other market forces,” he said. “The utility is the gatekeeper watching the henhouse, with limiting capacity, arbitrary requirements and unnecessary processes.” For example, Xcel Energy’s Solar Rewards program limits the size of a customer’s rooftop solar array to produce no more than 120% of the customer’s annual kilowatt-hour consumption. At another session, “New Solar Policy for Colorado,” moderator John Bringenburg, president of the COSEIA board of directors, mentioned that Public Service Co. of Colorado, Xcel Energy’s utility in the state, recently filed its Phase II Electric Rate Case with the CPUC. The proposal includes a smart meter pilot, a reconsideration of the previously rejected Solar Connect program and “grid use charges” for PV customers. The proposal raises fixed rates to make up for lost revenue from customers’ reduced consumption, said Rick Gilliam, program director of distributed generation regulatory policy at Vote Solar. “That’s what has triggered many of these proposals,” he said. A better rate design would be time-of-use rates. The three large investor-owned utilities in California – Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas & Electric – are switching to time-of-use rates, which encourages consumers to shift their energy use to off-peak periods. “In terms of a success story, that’s the best one right now.” Cindy Z. Schonhaut, director of the Office of Consumer Counsel at the Colorado Department of Regulatory Affairs, said the office, which represents the interest of consumers, is against Xcel’s proposal. “Without having some of the fixed costs recovered through usage charges, the consumer has less ability to lower their bill with more efficient appliances or using less,” she explained. “That’s to make the utility whole and reduce their risk. That’s not in the public interest just by itself.” Panelists also discussed the Clean Power Plan, which is on hold after the U.S. Supreme Court stopped its implementation. The plan is now under review by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The delay leaves states wondering whether to continue working on meeting the carbon-reduction requirements. “We have had people say you should put your pencils down – don’t waste time and money having people do work that amounts to nothing,” said Chris Colclasure, deputy director of the air pollution control division at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “On the other hand, we don’t want to sit back and watch the pages of the calendar. We are trying to identify what we can do.” He said the only immediate result is the department will not have to ask for an extension of the plan’s now-obsolete first deadline, in September, for submitting a compliance plan. “We will continue planning to reduce carbon emissions,” he said. “We think it is prudent to place Colorado in the best position that we can.”

Let’s Bring the Public Into Planning Our Energy Future

Xcel Energy has launched major ratepayer-funded outreach on a series of proposals it refers to as "Our Energy Future.'' Xcel is stressing that these plans encourage choice and renewable energy, but the plans actually favor monopoly utility control to the detriment of customer choice. We believe Colorado's energy future needs to be determined by the citizens of the state, not just the utility. The renewable energy transformation in Colorado began at the ballot box when we became the first state in the nation to require renewable energy through a citizen initiative in 2004. And the future is too important to leave citizens out of the loop during this critical transition. Since 2004, more than 30,000 Coloradans have gone solar, using their own resources to put panels on their homes and businesses to take advantage of unlimited clean energy from the sun. Colorado now ranks 9th in the nation in installed solar capacity with 540 MW currently installed-- enough to power 103,000 homes. More than 400 solar companies employ more than 5,000 Coloradans across the state. Quickly ramping up much more solar energy -- which still only contributes about 1.5% to Xcel's Colorado energy mix-- is critical for reducing the threat of catastrophic climate change. Solar emits no carbon emissions and adding more of this clean energy is a key way to reduce energy use that relies on burning fossil fuels. We are disappointed that Xcel uses a zero cost of carbon in its assumptions about future rates and makes virtually no mention of the issue. The impact of future decisions on climate change must be central to decisions about our energy future. We are pleased Xcel is proposing to add significantly more solar to its energy mix. Unfortunately, however, the utility proposes in its recent filings with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to continue to manage and control all solar programs, while entering the market as a competitor. The complex filings, estimated to cost more than $2 million in ratepayer funds, will likely take more than a year to wend through the regulatory process. Here are some initial thoughts on those filed so far: Phase II Rate Case (16AL-0048E) Last year, Xcel was granted an overall rate increase, but this case parcels out who would pay how much for electricity. The utility is proposing rate redesign for all customers and the inclusion of a new fixed charge called a `grid use charge' for residential and small commercial customers. At the same time, Xcel proposes to lower the charges for the volume of energy consumed per kilowatt-hour. The net effect is to reduce incentives for energy conservation (because using less will reduce the bill less) and increase the burden for ratepayers on low and fixed incomes. The structure also would erode the value proposition of solar, which reduces demand for energy from the grid. Xcel has also stated a desire to start with a pilot of demand rates for residential customers and eventually move all customers to this structure. Demand rates on residential customers would further exacerbate the punitive effects on customers who pursue energy efficiency, conservation and solar. The rate structure would end up inhibiting customer choice and energy savings. The need for entirely new rate structures has not been demonstrated. In fact, after a two-year in-depth inquiry into net metering, involving discussion of both the cost and benefit of distributed solar generation , the PUC decided six months ago that no problem with the current rate structure had been demonstrated. The commission voted unanimously to leave retail net metering alone. However, Xcel now calculates in the new rate case the perceived costs of rooftop solar, but not once does it mention the benefits solar brings to its system and to customers. The plan also fails to account for the real risk and costs of carbon emissions. This is an issue of paramount importance that is likely to be taken up by Xcel shareholders as well as rate payers. If Colorado wants to explore advanced rates, pilots of several alternatives would produce more useful data. For example, Time of Use Rates charge more when energy costs more-- at peak times. A three or four part Time of Use Rate could encourage people to use energy-hogging appliances such as dishwashers when fewer people are using energy -- such as late at night. Time of Use rates also can reward solar generators for contributing clean renewable energy to the grid when usage rates are high, such as in the late afternoon and evening of hot summer days. But Xcel proposes to close the four existing commercial and industrial time of use rates to new customers. A reverse block rate with several tiers could be tested with no special metering equipment. Reverse Block rates -- charging more the more you use -- tend to ease the burden on low and moderate income ratepayers. An annual report could detail findings on costs and benefits of multiple rates and associated grid upgrades. 2017-2019 Renewable Energy Plan (16A-0139E) The Renewable Energy Plan(REP) describes Xcel's plans for the Solar Rewards, Windsource and Recycled Energy programs, which are part of Colorado Renewable Energy Standard plans. The basic rooftop residential solar program, known as the "small'' program, is proposed to stay at the same level as it's been since early 2015. Currently, on the first of the month, 2 MW are made available to solar developers-- and each month, the capacity is reserved in a few minutes. This is evidence that the supply nowhere near meets the demand. Xcel proposes no increase in the 2 MW monthly allotment for the next 3 years, but a decrease in the Renewable Energy Credit paid, to 1/2 cent per kWh. This program, which is run and controlled by Xcel, is not working for the growing solar market. Increasing numbers of solar installers and their customers are simply bypassing the cumbersome and inadequate process and choosing to install solar with Net Metering and Interconnection only. A fair solution would be to affirm the right to install unlimited numbers of small solar systems with a 20-year Interconnection Agreement, and to have the current rules grandfathered for customers choosing to invest in solar. Xcel proposes another option in the REP, but makes it contingent on approval of the rate case, which is certainly not determined. Assuming the outcome of one proceeding in another raises legal issues. We are pleased that the company is proposing a small increase in the commercial or Medium program - which sells out even faster than the residential program. However, going from 12MW per year to 18MW per year and reducing REC purchase prices to 3 cents per kWh, will continue to starve and frustrate the market. We applaud Xcel’s recommendation to bring back modest capacity for the Large program. But bold new initiatives are needed for Colorado to reclaim its slipping solar leadership. COSEIA recently proposed new initiatives to Xcel and still believe they are needed, including: 1. A stakeholder- supervised survey to study the business health of Colorado's solar market relative to other active markets. Such a study is needed to understand the Colorado market in relation to programs being used elsewhere to support solar deployment including REC purchase programs. 2. Low income solar programs including rooftop and community solar would reduce the need for subsidies and provide free electricity for decades to customers who have paid into the renewable energy fund. A consensus memo of recommendations from a variety of stakeholders organized by COSEIA was shared with Xcel Energy and state energy leaders. 3. Special programs to encourage solar on new homes would support the unique market needs of home builders, who now compete with retrofit installers. A Solar Builder program needs to be a separate program from other programs and should not reduce the available acquisition for the general public. 4. Virtual Net Metering works especially well for schools, local governments and businesses with many locations. The customer has a single large solar farm that offsets any meter under common account ownership. We would like an initial pilot program included in the next Renewable Energy Plan. 5. Transparent reporting on grid interconnection status would help solar developers and the utility. As seen in many other markets, the industry would like to see information posted which illustrates areas of the grid which are more or less available for added interconnection. Better planning for added solar capacity on the distribution grid is also badly needed, especially where such distributed generation would defer capital expenditures to upgrade the grid. Additionally, Colorado's popular solar gardens program could be improved in a variety of ways. It would benefit from a new bidding process for Community Solar Gardens that creates more transparency and efficiency. Clarity is needed to ensure that negative Renewable Energy Credit prices are not legal. And special programs with differential REC prices to encourage community projects on warehouses and usable rooftops, as well as to benefit low and moderate income ratepayers, would deploy more solar in desirable locations. We believe that the popularity of Solar Gardens is still in its infancy and this form of solar needs to be encouraged in many ways. Solar Connect (16A-0055E) The Public Utilities Commission unanimously rejected the first version of Solar Connect in 2014 after the staff and numerous stakeholders argued that it was clearly anti-competitive. The utility revised the proposal and has submitted a second request for approval of the program. Solar Connect would consist of a 50 MW solar farm that the utility would contract for and purchase power from. Shares would be sold to the public at a premium with Xcel allowed to make a 10 percent profit. The revised proposal is improved but still has significant issues: -The 50 MW size is 25 times bigger than the biggest solar gardens developers are allowed to build and thus has built-in economies of scale advantage, but would be sold at a profit. Why not use most of this capacity in other programs where more job development and industry support will result? Why let Xcel charge above- market rates for a product their own analysis claims will cost less to deliver than any competing systems? -Xcel controls all the marketing, all the information on customers and all the solar programs so it is hard to see how Solar Connect would not be anti-competitive. More business risk should lie with Xcel shareholders including 100% of the start- up costs, marketing, administration and operations. If Xcel wants to enter the retail solar market in competition with the private developers who assume all their risks, a much more even playing field needs to be established first. If Xcel wants to offer products that compete with private industry, the utility should do so by starting a private subsidiary as other utilities have done. Electric Resource Plan (to be filed in early June, 2016) and other dockets (Grid CPCN, Decoupling, Utility ownership of new utility-scale Renewable Energy) Xcel is planning to file a longer-term resource acquisition plan called the Electric Resource Plan this spring, as well as other plans. The utility is seeking full ratepayer compensation for all of its multi-million dollar costs. We think there needs to be a more equal playing field. Xcel Energy's net income from Colorado has grown from $211.4 million in 2005 to $466.8 million in 2015. Xcel is also seeking an accounting mechanism that would guarantee it would be able to collect the millions of dollars of expense related to these cases in the future and thus has no incentive to be efficient. Other parties intervening in these cases must generate all costs out of their own pockets. Such intervening parties should receive compensation to hire experts, conduct analysis and construct responsive proposals, as allowed in other states. It is also high time that Colorado appoint an independent renewable energy administrator rather than allowing the monopoly utility run all the programs, control all the customer information and have nearly unlimited ratepayer funding to support marketing of its arguments. We are also disappointed that Xcel is using a zero cost of carbon in its assumptions about future utility rates. With catastrophic climate change coming ever closer, the effects of electric generation on greenhouse gas emissions need to be considered in every utility decision. We certainly think that appropriate planning for the future must acknowledge that Xcel's coal-centric generation resources need to transition to clean sources of energy by attributing a reasonable cost to carbon. We think this transition needs to happen much more quickly than Xcel is proposing. But in this transition, we don't believe it is in the public interest for the utility to act as gatekeeper, manager, and competitor all at the same time.

Power to the people: An alternative energy non-profit charitable organization provides sustainability and economic security to some of Colorado’s rural areas

To witness the character of the western United States is to observe its rural communities. The West’s beauty is defined by its sprawling expanse, and that vastness gives home to some remote living circumstances. The seclusion is part of the area’s charm, to be sure. But that same seclusion can create difficulties in providing rural residents with utilities such as electricity. The situation is exacerbated when some of these residents live on limited incomes, and can spend up to 12 percent of their annual earnings just to power their homes. To combat this pricey cost-of-living expense, an alternative energy solutions company, GRID Alternatives (GRID), is working to build solar arrays that will provide sustainable power to five low-income communities throughout rural Colorado. The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) provided GRID with a $1.2 million grant in August 2015. CEO has been working with rural Colorado energy co-ops and municipal utilities to work toward Colorado’s new renewable energy standards under senate bills 13-252 and 15-254, which require investor-owned utilities such as Xcel energy to garner 30 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by 2020, and for energy cooperatives to garner 20 percent. As it stands, low-income communities are often the last to see new technology as it becomes available. “Across the country there is a very specific demographic that tends to be left out of access. And that’s the population that we’re working with,” says Kristina Sickles, development director of GRID’s Colorado project. GRID is working with affordable housing agencies like Habitat for Humanity to reach out to individuals and families that qualify as low to moderate income, which is here defined as earning 80 percent or below of the area’s median income. According to Sickles, average income households spend about 4 percent of their annual income on energy costs. Taking a look at their low-to-moderate income counterparts, those expenditures rise up to 10 and 12 percent. “What we are attempting to do is make that expenditure more equitable across households,” she says. Sickles sees Colorado as the legislative and developmental birthplace of community solar projects. GRID has historical roots as a company installing individual rooftop solar arrays on homes in California. But here in Colorado, she says, the scope of sustainability has reached beyond rooftops — and beyond individual households. About 75 percent of the country couldn’t use rooftop solar if they wanted to; they either rent their homes or don’t have a viable rooftop for solar. GRID’s community solar model utilizes offsite solar arrays that power the entirety of the communities they service. Individual solar panels on the array are designated to specific households, and power is wired from the array to those homes. “There’s a lot of development right now in community solar focusing on making sure individual households have access to renewable energy whether or not they have a rooftop and a property that is appropriate for solar access,” says Sickles. The prospect of sustainable energy is attractive — clean, renewable power that weans our society from our reliance on diminishing fossil fuel resources. But expensive installation costs have kept many who would be willing to switch to solar from doing so. Tom Figel, the policy and regulatory manager for GRID’s community solar project, sees the fact that the brunt of efforts toward sustainability have been targeted toward the affluent as an economic justice issue. “If we’re going to be successful in a clean energy transition, which affects everyone and affects underserved, disadvantaged communities the most, we need to include everyone in the transition to be successful,” he says. Wally Shaw is a Grand Valley resident who is participating in GRID’s community solar program. In cooperation with GRID, the Grand Valley Power electric utility company installed a solar array that began to provide Wally’s community with power in summer 2015. The community was offered the opportunity to chip in on the project as well as wire into the new source of clean energy. “They had a big work day down there at Grand Valley Power, where all the ones that were getting the solar could help install the solar panels and get a hands-on experience on how the whole process worked,” Shaw says. Community solar is not the only sustainable energy solution available to communities like Shaw’s in Grand Valley. But it is the only affordable one. “A lot of the rural areas don’t have access to the low-cost solar because it was only available here through Xcel energy,” Shaw says. “I first had checked into that, getting solar panels, and I couldn’t afford the price.” Xcel was estimating a cost of $17,000 to install solar panels on Shaw’s property — a high number was not justifiable by the tax credit that the panels would provide. Many rural residents like Shaw don’t have the means to dish out so much money for the marginal return on their investment. GRID’s program is designed to help Coloradans like Shaw and their communities transition to clean energy solutions without requiring a bottom line of disposable income. Shaw says his connection to the community solar array can save him 45 percent on his electrical bill some months. Many of the rural communities GRID is operating within are transitioning coal economies, according to Figel. As the state of Colorado increasingly converts to renewable energy solutions, jobs provided by the coal industry dwindle. A part of GRID’s mission is to provide access to job training for the underserved communities they work in, which can help to combat job loss in communities that can least afford it. Their barn-raising installation model engages the community and its businesses in the construction of the solar arrays, and Shaw says that in Grand Valley, local businesses chipped in to help build the array that powers his community. With Colorado paving the way for sustainable energy on both the legislative and commercial fronts, community solar is an effort to include everyone in a conversation about technology that would previously be fiscally impossible for many folks. “Programs like these start to broaden access for everyone, and again I think that’s just essential to achieving a clean energy transition,” Figel says. Expanding access to the benefits of sustainable innovation is one of many steps in an ongoing process toward environmental equity in Colorado.

Colorado regulators reject Xcel’s proposal to add solar power

In an unusual move, state regulators on Wednesday verbally rejected a proposed agreement between Xcel Energy Inc. and three solar power developers that would have added up to 60 megawatts of “community solar” power plants in Colorado. The Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) typically approves settlement agreements reached by parties in a dispute. "It’s infrequent," PUC spokesman Terry Bote agreed. "But it’s based on whether the settlements are in the public interests or not, and in this situation, the commission felt it was not in the public interest." The PUC said in a statement that “the proposed agreement was not in the public interest because it was inconsistent with certain statutes, PUC rules and previous decisions, and it was likely to raise the cost of renewable energy to customers.” A written order detailing the objections of the PUC commissioners should be issued in a few weeks. “We are disappointed by the decision, but we will need to wait on the written order before providing further comment,” Xcel said in a statement after the PUC’s verbal decision on Wednesday. Community solar projects, also known as “solar gardens,” are medium-sized solar power stations in which businesses or individuals can buy or lease solar power panels and get credit off their monthly bill for the renewable energy produced by the panels. The 60 megawatts of solar power proposed in the agreement is enough to serve the needs of 9,840 homes, or nearly all of the 11,400 homes the U.S. Census counts in Brighton. Colorado was the first state in the nation to allow community solar systems on the grid. They’ve proven popular with customers who can’t or won’t put solar power on their own rooftops. Only about 25 percent of all the homes in the United States can support solar power arrays on their roofs, according to studies. The agreement, announced February 23, was intended to settle disputes over how much community solar Xcel (NYSE: XEL) would add to its Colorado portfolio for the years 2014 through 2016 via its Solar*Rewards Community program. Parties to the agreement were Xcel, and three businesses that develop community solar systems: Clean Energy Collective, Community Energy Inc. and SunShare LLC. “We’re disappointed with the PUC’s decision,” said SunShare’s spokeswoman, Kate Laursen. “The settlement between Xcel and the other developers was made with the ratepayers’ best interests in mind,” Laursen said. The three solar companies build and operate community solar gardens and were declared by Xcel to be the three winning bidders of the company’s 2015 competitive bidding process for 29.5 megawatts worth of community solar resources, the PUC said. The PUC previously had ordered Xcel to acquire between 19.5 megawatts and 90 megawatts of community solar power by the end of 2016 — and noted Wednesday that the requirement is still in place despite the rejection of the proposed settlement. The PUC, in its statement, said it had several problems with the proposal Xcel and the three companies filed. For instance, in the proposed agreement, the PUC noted that Xcel said it would pay the companies a flat 3 cents per kilowatt hour for the Renewable Energy Credits, or RECs, produced by the solar power arrays instead of the prices the companies had bid as part of the 2015 request for proposals. The PUC said that by agreeing to a 3 cents per REC payment, instead of the lower prices the companies offered in their bidding, the overall cost of building the solar power systems would rise “by hundreds of thousands of dollars per facility,” according to the commissioners’ statement. “Rather than utilize the commission-approved competitive process, the parties filed a settlement that is not in the public interest,” PUC Chairman Joshua Epel said. The commissioners also took issue with Xcel’s proposal for using an average number for the monthly bill credits for customers who buy or lease panels in a community solar system, rather than figuring out the credit for each individual panel and customer. Lastly, the proposed agreement included a provision in the agreement that Xcel could “participate in the ownership” of up to 4 megawatts of community solar, which would be reserved for low-income customers and non-profit, 501(c)(3) organizations. Typically, additions to Xcel’s power portfolio are formally proposed to the commissioners, who review and approve or reject the project. The commissioners said that including Xcel’s ownership of community solar megawatts in a settlement agreement was “inconsistent with statutes, PUC rules and previous PUC decisions.”