Colorado energy gleanings
Film about Suncor Refinery shown in Commerce City, Denver pulls trigger on 12+ solar projects, Tri-State G&T adds innovation officer, and new Colorado board named.
When will low-snow or no-snow winters become the norm in the Sierras? The Rockies?
A new report points out that water infrastructure and systems for the 20th century climate will need to be juggled in the coming time of low- and no-snow winters.
Who’d have thunk? Colorado is now talking about when it will close its last coal plant
A compromise proposal would see Colorado’s last coal plant closing in 2034. Some think Comanche 3 should close much sooner, maybe even 2027.
Cyberattack on Nov. 7 poses questions about vulnerability of electric system in Colorado
A Nov. 7 cyberattack on Delta-Montrose Electric Association that left the electrical cooperative unable to operate phones, e-mail, and payment processing for several weeks has raised questions about the motive of attackers and the security of other electrical...
Boulder caught a break in its 2020 emissions. Now, can it pick up the pace?
With covid at its back, Boulder dramatically reduced emissions in 2020. Despite that gain, it will have to pick up its pace to achieve its 2030 emission goals.
Creating a low-carb diet of local and imported energy
Locavore eating, if honorable in intent, has limits. So does the idea of local energy production. Microgrids will have their place, but so will imported energy.
How work underway at Crested Butte may enable better prediction of spring runoff
A warming, drying West will need a better understanding of the dynamics of runoff from mountain topography. Research at Crested Butte hopes to deliver answers.
Extreme weather? Yes, and the events were interrelated
Heat waves, bad air, flash floods, debris flows and drought—these were separate but interrelated parts of climate change in Colorado and beyond during 2021.
Visiting Bishop’s Lodge and the Colorado River Compact
A visit to where the compact was conceived in New Mexico in 1922 provokes questions about whether the agreement needs to be remodeled—or razed.
How renewables are scrambling electrical generation portfolios and lowering rates
Six towns and cities in SE Colorado will be getting electricity from a new wholesale provider, Guzman Energy, which is developing a portfolio of renewables.
Electric highway to the Front Range from the heart of the Dust Bowl?
Xcel Energy wants to spend upwards of $2 billion delivering wind and other renewables to Front Range customers. But what motivates Colorado’s largest utility?
How global warming will make Aspen wealthier
The actual poor of the world are suffering from global warming, while we Aspenites get richer, says Roger Marolt. This is not a crisis for mountain resorts and likely never will be.
Colorado energy gleanings
A dead-end on Aspen’s natural-gas sabotage, solar moves forward in Yampa Valley, hydrogen plan released, Vail Resorts hits 85% renewables, Fort Collins blows past emissions goal.
County officials say state stalls gas production from the Piceance Basin
Colorado officials were accused of stalling development of natural gas in the Piceance Basin. Meanwhile, was the public improperly excluded from a meeting?
A vision for the energy equivalent of locavore
Why produce your electricity locally when it can be imported more cheaply? A new study makes the case for community solar in Colorado’s Garfleld County.
Wyoming energy gleanings: coal and nuclear
An essayist makes the case that Wyoming shouldn’t expect nuclear to save its energy economy, and another essayist describes the way that Wyoming legislators have been desperately trying to save the state’s coal economy.
New Mexico gleanings: Hydrogen and securitization
Securitization an issue in plans regarding coal plant in New Mexico Public Service Co. of New Mexico, the state’s largest electrical utility, plans to get out of the Four Corners Power Plant near Farmington by the end of 2024. But its plan for doing so is drawing...
United Power looking for a partner to create a pilot microgrid in service territory near Denver
United Power, an electrical cooperative near Denver, wants to find a partner to develop a pilot microgrid. Other utilities have had similar thoughts.
Tri-State has cleaner energy, Logan County has a broader tax base, landowners have more secure income
A new wind farm in northeastern Colorado will give Tri-State Generation and Transmission 200 megawatts of capacity, helping the wholesaler pivot away from coal.
Japanese-American internment camp of Amache can teach us much
A Japanese-American prison camp called Amache in southeast Colorado can teach us much about mass hysteria and wartime racism. Volunteers have kept its memories alive, and now, Congress needs to act to make this place of privation a national historic site.
