XCEL WANTS NUCLEAR OPTION

Last week at at the Denver Leadership Summit, Xcel Energy Chairman, Dick Kelly, raised the possibility of building nuclear power plants in Colorado after 2020 to produce carbon-free electricity.

“There’s a negative attitude in the state (about nuclear power), something we need to turn around,” Kelly commented during a panel discussion. “The demand for power is not going away — individuals are buying plasma televisions, businesses are growing and using more power. We have to come up with a solution.”

Supporters point out that nuclear power doesn’t emit carbon, and therefore, should be considered as a solution for replacing coal-fired plants and reducing global warming. They note that a country like France gets the bulk of its power generation from nuclear sources, and since nuclear has become the main power source in the country, pollution has been dramatically reduced.

Carbon-free operation aside, a host of safety issues would have to be addressed before nuclear power could become a viable option here in the states. During the panel discussion, NREL Director, Dan Arvizu, said, “We have to deal with waste and nonproliferation to make sure nuclear materials aren’t used as a terrorist threat, and only then sign up for nuclear as part of our energy mix.” France recycles most of their nuclear waste.

CSU PUSHES WIND FARM AGAINST SKEPTICISM

LIVERMORE — A long train of electrical transmission lines, supported by large skeletons of power transformers, vanish over a distant horizon east of Red Mountain Road on the edge of the 11,000-acre Maxwell Ranch in northern Colorado.

The road, which CSU plans to use as construction access for its
proposed Green Power Project — a lofty initiative to power the
university’s main campus solely with wind energy — snakes
through a network of deep arroyos and large hills in the
windswept foothills of the area.

Nina Jackson, a member of a group of about 35 local property
owners that organized to oppose the project in October, steered
her white Ford F-350 over the crest of one the hills and
pointed out a CSU weather tower close to the power lines.

If construction of CSU’s wind farm is successful, she said, the
tower, which gathers meteorological data for the university’s
Atmospheric Science Department, will be joined by dozens of
massive wind turbines that are expected to completely fuel the
university.

But the project — which comes with a $400 million to $500
million price tag and is pending large amounts of research to
determine its viability — is not without skepticism.

READ THE COMPLETE STORY HERE.

COLORADO ON NET ZERO BUILDING BINGE

DENVER, Colorado (AP) — Green home builders are optimistic that
the thousands of energy-efficient “net-zero” houses being built
across Colorado could push the designs into the mainstream and
make them affordable.

“It just takes a little more planning. We should just not build
any more crappy homes,” said Norbert Klelbl, the master
developer of Geos, which is expected to start construction on a
250-home neighborhood in Arvada this summer.

Net-zero homes are not dependent on natural-gas or coal-powered
electricity, and all the energy used is generated through solar
and wind technologies.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

GREEN ADVOCATES CHANGE STRATEGIES

By John Ingold

DENVER - Faced with a tight state budget and tighter-fisted state
lawmakers, environmental groups had a quieter session at the
Capitol than in years past, though they still proclaimed the
session a success.

The state fiscal situation “colored every bill proposal and
committee hearing,” said Elise Jones, Colorado Environmental
Coalition. “We couldn’t spend money. In fact, we had to save
money and create jobs with every proposal.”

Among the green bills passed this year were two measures to
assist homeowners and schools in financing solar-panel
purchases; a bill providing tax incentives for buying
solar-heated water systems; a measure giving small power
providers the ability to charge higher rates to bigger
electricity users; and a requirement that homebuilders offer
solar panels as an option on new, custom homes.

Democrats say the bills will help grow the “New Energy Economy”
in Colorado, bringing jobs and investment to the state.

Republicans, though, say many plans missed the mark. Sen. Greg
Brophy, R-Wray, said he supported some of the green bills at
the Capitol, such as one providing a tax credit for the
purchase of alternative fuel vehicles. But he said others gave
boosts to renewable energy at the expense of more practical
options.

READ THE COMPLETE STORY HERE. 

U.S. DRILLING RIG COUNT DOWN AGAIN

 Houston (Dow Jones) The number of rigs drilling for oil and natural gas
fin the U.S. fell this week as producers continued to scale back drilling
activity amid slumping energy prices.

The number of oil and gas rigs fell to 928, down 17 from the
previous week, according to rig data from oil-field services
company Baker Hughes Inc. (BHI). The number of gas rigs was
730, a drop of 11 rigs from last week, while the oil rig count
dropped to 190, a decrease of six rigs. The number of
miscellaneous rigs was flat at eight rigs.

The number of gas rigs in use peaked at 1,606 in September.

Natural gas prices have plummeted about 69% from summer highs
amid robust production from U.S. onshore natural gas fields and
shrinking demand. Large industrial consumers have scaled back
gas use to cut costs during the recession. In response to
falling gas prices, producers such as Chesapeake Energy Corp.
(CHK) and Devon Energy Corp. (DVN) have slashed their spending
plans and rig counts to curb the flow of new gas supplies into
the market.

Analysts anticipate that the brisk pullback in natural gas
drilling activity will eventually bring supply back in line
with demand and help bolster gas prices.