Posted on 05/01/2025 5:42:27 AM PDT by george76
excel is essentially run by the colorado PUC, which has mandated so-called “green” energy as its primary mission, reliability and affordability be damned ... reliable power generating plants are being closed and billions are being spent on windmills and solar panels, all at the expense of the ratepayers, and the expense of a reliable power grid ...
this green energy scam is a slow-motion train wreck, and it will be interesting to see how many power failures voters will put up with before (if ever) they push back ... of course, by then it’ll essentially be too late, because it will take years to build back reliable power generation ...
Xcel Energy has significantly expanded its renewable energy portfolio, driven by the state’s voter-approved Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) since 2004. The RPS MANDATES that 30% of electricity sold by investor-owned utilities come from renewable sources. In 2023, renewable energy sources (primarily wind, solar, and hydroelectric) accounted for nearly two-fifths of Colorado’s electricity net generation, with Xcel Energy meeting the 30% RPS requirement.
Since 2010, Colorado’s renewable electricity generation has quadrupled, with Xcel playing a key role through investments in wind and solar. Wind energy alone provided 28% of the state’s electricity in 2023, followed by solar at 8.4% and hydroelectric at 2.9%.
In 2022, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission (PUC) approved Xcel’s Clean Energy Plan, aiming for 80% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% carbon-free electricity by 2050, with an 85% carbon emission reduction from 2005 levels by 2030.
Xcel’s October 2024 proposal to replace the coal-fired Comanche Unit 3 plant in Pueblo (set to close by 2031) includes up to 14 gigawatts of new capacity, with the majority from renewables like wind, solar, and battery storage, though 1.5–2.6 gigawatts would come from new natural gas plants.
n 2024, Xcel Energy’s facilities generated 24% of electricity from renewable fuels, with wind and solar dominating, while 76% came from nonrenewable sources (natural gas, coal). Small-scale solar, including customer-owned photovoltaic panels, contributed 2,036 GWh to Colorado’s grid in 2024, about 40% of utility-scale solar output.
The Comanche Generating Station Unit 1 is set to retire in 2025, Unit 2 in 2025, and Unit 3 by 2031 (originally 2040).
The Hayden Generating Station Unit 1 will close in 2028, Unit 2 in 2027 (previously 2030 and 2036).
The Pawnee Generating Station (Brush) will transition from coal to natural gas by 2026.
By 2029, approximately 2,500 megawatts of coal-fired capacity in Colorado will retire, reducing coal’s share from 28% of the state’s electricity mix in 2024.
All of those Colorado voters who approved "green" energy are all energy experts, but why didn't they specify Unicorn Farts and Skittle Rainbows as the preferred energy source is beyond me.
Six times a year? Gimme a break. That is normal in northern CaCaLand.
When I first moved to Frisco area 35+ years ago I was disgusted with PG&E’s outages every few weeks. And, I live in a very upscale burb right next to a major hospital. I worked for them for ten years — and spotted the problems early on. Their management sucks. And, this was in comparison to the management techniques I experienced by working for a near identical company in the deep South for nine years.
Failures have nothing to do with overhead lines, earthquakes, storms, etc. It is about management getting a rate increase (or, more likely permission to change the tiers in the rate structure) and then personally pocketing the $$ instead of making the necessary upgrades. Not hyperbole’ — this came out in a court case.
Xcel has virtual forests of wind turbines and acres of solar farms in Minnesota, which are frequently idle with the fickle winds and when the sun doesn’t shine. The recent blackouts in Spain should be a wake up call that solar and wind cannot reliably power an industrial society.
During the 2017 legislative session, Xcel.. failed in the Colorado state Senate.. because it made zero economic sense to force Coloradans to pay to shut down our most affordable and dependable - rate payer = paid for - power plants that run 24/7, in favor of unreliable wind turbines and solar panels that increase electricity costs while decreasing dependability.
After the session, Xcel changed its tune.. by going to then governor Hickenlooper and the Public Utilities Commission for something it could not get passed through the Legislature... as its Minnesota executives and Wall Street shareholders laugh their way to the bank. Kickbacks to .. ?.
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