Will this smooth the renewable highs and lows?
Xcel Energy announces testing of 100-hour batteries in Pueblo by as early as 2025. Will this technology displace natural gas peaker plants?
Mountain Parks: We’re out of here
Electric cooperative in Colorado sets the two-year clock ticking with Tri-State G&T as it begins talks in earnest with new wholesale providers
Dismantling the walls to wildlife posed by highways
$5 million in projects an important step in reimagining Colorado’s highways to accommodate wildlife
Choosing a PUC commissioner
What goes into selecting those charged with being regulators of Xcel Energy and other utilities in Colorado during a time of rapid change?
Study finds complexity to climate changes underway at 9,500 feet in Colorado
Work of 15 scientists at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory synthesized to help understand changed interactions among wildflowers, birds, and insects
Environmental Justice Act outcomes
New entity proposed for Colorado to improve multi-agency coordination, more community outreach
Why Chris Hansen wants to be Denver mayor
A key legislative figure in Colorado’s energy transition explains why he wants to be mayor of Denver —and shares what will be inside his big climate bill this year.
A milestone but miles yet to go for a Colorado water project
A court battle looms for a water projects along Colorado’s northern Front Range. Water quality and loss of agriculture land lie at the arguments about gains — and losses.
A Colorado coal plant retires and…
Xcel Energy plans to begin building 300 miles of transmission in eastern Colorado in 2023 to deliver new wind and solar. Why the different story in southern Wyoming?
Can turning the corner on global heating really be this simple?
‘Big Fix’ authors Hal Harvey and Justin Gillis are optimists but also realistic. It won’t be easy. But they carefully describe the necessary path forward. We need to take some risk, they say, and we need to invest in the future now.
Can Colorado grow as much food with less water?
Raw water in Colorado has almost entirely been carved up. Agriculture’s new frontier lies in innovations that produce more food with the same or less water
CRES history Part 7: Next steps?
Colorado is briskly decarbonizing electricity, but huge challenges remain. What is the role for a grassroots group like CRES?
Influence in the Polis years: CRES history Part 6:
CRES has been busy in recent years trying to advance Colorado’s clean energy agenda. The most compelling evidence of success is a law that tilts the table on natural gas to favor efficiency measures.
Growth, a stumble, then new chapters: CRES history Part 5:
CRES grew 10-fold in membership, held annual conferences, then tried to spread its wings. That didn’t work out exactly as hoped. Why not? Opinions vary.
How Bill Ritter rode wind energy into the governor’s mansion
When running for governor, Bill Ritter thought it important to visit little places sparse on Democrats. He also began talking about a new energy economy.
The path to the governor’s mansion: CRES history Part 4
As a farm boy, Bill Ritter loathed wind. But when he ran for governor, renewables put wind at his back.
Voters have their say: CRES history Part 3
Failing at the Capitol, advocates took their case directly to voters The outcome — the first voter-initiated renewables mandate — was national news.
Why not wind? CRES history Part 2:
In 2000, Colorado’s largest utility rejected a major project . Why? A team that included CRES fought back. The result: Colorado Green — followed by others. Others followed.
A History of CRES Part 1: A coming together of minds
Colorado in the late 1970s had a convergence of people who thought there had to be another way to power a civilization. Among them were the founders of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society.
Enough power in a heat wave in 2025?
A more volatile climate. Closing coal plants. Loss of hydro power. Will there enough electricity if temperatures hit 115 degrees in Colorado and beyond?
