COULD 2018 BE THE YEAR COLORADO’S GREEN ENERGY DEBATE GOES BIG?
January 30, 2018
News
Is Colorado ready to switch to renewable energy in a big way? 2018 looks to be a breakthrough year. Grace Hood has an article in the Durango Hearld.
Longmont Mayor Brian Bagley is encouraged by the Platte River report. He expects the Longmont city council to solidify his goal with a vote later in January.
So what will this mean for low-income customers who can’t afford a 10 percent rate increase?
Bagley advises a go-slow approach.
“Just like we don’t know about battery power. We don’t know about the future of pricing either,” he said. “Nobody’s saying right now we’re going to buy all 100 percent renewable today. We’re going to do it step by step.”
The new year will bring more progress toward renewable energy across the state. United Power Cooperative plans to pilot a community battery storage project in 2018. That’s in addition to battery storage projects Xcel has tested in Denver’s Stapleton neighborhood. It’s also testing battery strategies near Panasonic’s Denver headquarters as part of the Pena Station Next project.
Electric vehicles will also dominate discussions. Expect more talk on how Colorado plans to spend $68 million in VW settlement money on a play that will include electric charger stations. Gov. Hickenlooper also plans to finalize a statewide electric vehicle plan early in 2018.