Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Wharf Rat who wrote (4674)	9/1/2006 3:50:20 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 24210

Xcel reveals renewable energy plans By Gargi Chakrabarty, Rocky Mountain News September 1, 2006 Xcel Energy is ramping up its green power. On Thursday, Colorado's biggest utility announced new projects aimed at bolstering its renewable energy portfolio. Those include two wind farms near Peetz, each producing 200 megawatts of electricity. FPL Energy will build one called Peetz Table, while Invenergy will build the other one, called Logan Wind Energy. Xcel previously had announced two other wind farms: the 75-megawatt Lamar Twin Butte, an expansion to the existing Colorado Green Farm in Lamar, and the 300-megawatt Green Light Energy near Grover in Weld County. Those four projects would add 775 megawatts of wind energy before the end of 2007. Xcel currently has 282 megawatts of wind power in its system. If the wind power is installed by the end of 2007, the company will be compliant with energy standards outlined in Amendment 37 through 2015, said Xcel spokesman Tom Henley. Approved by voters in November 2004, the mandate requires Xcel to acquire 10 percent of its electric sales from renewable sources such as wind, sun, or plant and animal waste through 2015. At least 4 percent of that must come from solar energy. "I hope that Xcel doesn't consider this 775-megawatt of wind power as a ceiling, given the demonstrated benefit of wind energy," said Craig Cox of Interwest Energy Alliance, a trade group representing the wind power industry. "I hope to see more projects in the near future." When it comes to its solar energy targets, the scenario is fluid. Xcel is reviewing bids to build an 8.5-megawatt solar farm in the San Luis Valley. Separately, Xcel also is considering bids from commercial customers who have proposed to build projects totaling 26 megawatts, although the utility is not likely to select all of those proposals. "On the solar side, our compliance is dependent on how many of the commercial bids we can select and add to the system," Henley said. "That will tell us which threshold we will be able to meet in the future." Since both solar and wind power are intermittent in nature, Xcel estimates 1 megawatt serves roughly 330 customers. The word from Xcel Xcel's progress report on complying with Amendment 37, which requires the utility to acquire 10 percent of its electric sales from renewable sources such as wind, sun, plant and animal waste: • Selected two new 200-megawatt wind farms near Peetz. Those projects, coupled with two under-construction wind farms in Lamar and Grover, will add 775 megawatts of wind power by the end of 2007. Xcel already has 282 megawatts of wind power in its system. • Close to selecting a bid to construct an 8.5-megawatt solar farm in the San Luis Valley. The project will cost $50 million to $60 million. • Reviewing bids from commercial customers who have submitted proposals to build 26 megawatts of solar power. Xcel already has given rebates to 90 residential customers who have installed 350 kilowatts of solar power and is reviewing rebate applications from 210 other residential customers. • Maintaining the renewable energy fee on customer electric bills. rockymountainnews.com