All Posts Tagged With: "Xcel Energy"

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Denver Mint Switching to Wind Power for
Electricity Needs

The federal facility will buy its electricity from the utility’s Windsource program, which will utilize the Cedar Point project currently under construction in Eastern Colorado for 2011 power generation.

2Sep2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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SmartGridCity Slammed at PUC Hearing

Both regular citizens and businesses took shots at Xcel Energy’s multimillion dollar Boulder-based SmartGridCity pilot at a PUC hearing yesterday. The ambitious program was cited for not having strong cost controls, according to filings by the commission staff and citizen watchdog groups.

1Sep2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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West Slope Miners Protest Coal Bill

“You might wonder why I got all the applause,” he said speaking to a crowd of hundreds. “It’s (because) I’m just one of the coal miners here. I’m one of the ones … afraid this bill is going to do away with my job.” Winey was one of several coal miners who spoke to members of the Colorado PUC yesterday in Grand Junction during a public input session on the fallout of the Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act.

31Aug2010 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
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Xcel Lays Out Plan for Natural Gas Conversion of Metro Denver Power Plants

The proposal from the state’s largest utility, which still faces months of public input at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, would phase out coal-fired generators in Denver and Boulder — like the contentious Valmont facility pictured — and retool most units to run on cleaner natural gas.

17Aug2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Xcel in Concentrated Solar Deal with
Cogentrix Energy

The utility has signed a 20-year contract with Cogentrix Energy, LLC to obtain 30 megawatts of power from a new concentrating solar power facility to be built in the San Luis Valley. The new plant is believed to be the largest of its kind in the world and will cost between $140 million and $150 million to construct.

9Aug2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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SOLAR Install Tracks –

Snapshots of current projects … R&D news and installations … from Pueblo to Fort Collins, Grand Junction to DIA. Despite a sluggish economy, Colorado continues to embrace the power of the sun in the public and private sectors.

9Aug2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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EPA Tackles Coal Ash with Hearing in Denver

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has selected Denver as one of five sites for public hearings scheduled nationwide on proposed rules for coal ash from power plants. The meeting will take place on September 2nd at the Grand Hyatt on Welton Street.

26Jul2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Lack of Transmission Lines Cited in XCEL’s Request to Reduce Solar Projections

Colorado’s largest utility has requested permission from the State PUC to reduce by nearly half the solar generation targets it agreed to under Xcel’s 2007 Colorado Resource Plan. The main reason, they say, is the lack of progress on new tranmission lines in the area.

7Jun2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Commentary: Colorado’s Big Carbon Spill

In recent weeks, Xcel has begun full operation of the new 750 MW coal plant in Pueblo. While Pueblo bears all of the pollution from the coal plant, essentially all of the electricity will be used in places like Denver and Boulder; Pueblo, already the home of two other Xcel coal plants, gets almost none of the electricity.

27May2010 | admin | 2 comments | Continued
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Large Scale Solar vs. Point-of-Use DG –
The Debate Heats Up in the San Luis Valley

Residents support solar, but are wary of centralized, large-scale photovoltaic arrays in the rural valley. Small-scale solar projects near existing sub-stations make more sense, say supporters.They advocate phased-in local, point-of-use renewable energy generation.

25May2010 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
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Lawmakers Want to Stall Xcel Plan to Shutter Inefficient Cameo Station Plant

Grand Junction-area Republicans have introduced legislation to try to stop Xcel Energy from closing its outdated Cameo Station power plant that Xcel says is too costly and impractical to maintain. Debate over the law sees politicians flipping ideology on its side.

5May2010 | admin | 1 comment | Continued
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U.S. Wind Industry Enjoyed Record Growth in 2009

It installed more than 10,000 megawatts throughout the country in 2009. Not surprisingly, Mineapolis-based Xcel Energy leads in utilities’ use of wind power, and that position should strengthen with the recent passage of the 30% renewable energy standard here in Colorado.

9Apr2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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State’s Fuel Switching Ignites Heated Debate

Underlying supporters’ argument that the impact on ratepayers would be relatively minimal is an assumption that utilities could obtain long-term natural gas supply contracts — but that hasn’t been the norm between power companies and natural gas producers.

6Apr2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Xcel Energy to Buy Colorado Power Plants from Calpine

The Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo) unit will purchase the 621-megawatt Rocky Mountain Energy Center near Hudson (picture on the right), and the 310-megawatt Blue Spruce Energy Center in Aurora for $739 million. Both are gas-fired facilities.

5Apr2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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Xcel Energy and RES Americas in Colorado
Wind Farm Deal

The companies reached agreement on a 20-year deal for Public Service Co. of Colorado to buy 252 megawatts of electricity from the Cedar Point wind farm that Broomfield-based RES Americas will begin building this summer and have operating next year.

3Apr2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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State Senate Gives Preliminary Approval
to Coal Plant Measure

Utilities that own coal-fired power plants would be be required to submit plans to the Public Utilities Commission by Aug. 15 on an emissions-reduction plan that covers 900 megawatts or 50 percent of the utility’s generating capacity, whichever is less. The measure received support from all but three Democrats, and only three Republican votes.

31Mar2010 | admin | 0 comments | Continued
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