CEO of Colorado’s largest electric utility tells conference-goers that storage is a crucial part of the still-evolving decarbonization effort
by Allen Best
Robert Kenney, the chief executive of Xcel Energy’s Colorado division, delivered remarks at the American Clean Power’s ReCharge Energy Storage Conference on Sept. 22, saying that it was “a fitting place for a conversation about energy storage because Colorado is, in many ways, a real-world proving ground for the energy transition.”
Following are several excerpts:
The energy transition big picture
“We operate across a lot of extremes here in Colorado: fast-growing urban and suburban communities, rural areas, mountain towns, high-altitude terrain, severe winter weather, extreme summer heat, and increasing wildfire risk. And these conditions remind us every day that energy policy is important, technology is important, and investment is important. But execution is where the transition really begins.”
Energy storage is now
“Energy storage is no longer a future concept. It has become a necessary infrastructure resource, an investment priority, and an essential part of how we keep the system reliable as the resource and energy mix changes.”
Decarbonization puzzle pieces
“Carbon dioxide emissions from electricity delivered in Colorado are down more than 60% from 2005 levels. And that progress matters, but that progress only matters if customers can count on dependable service every hour of every day, and that is where storage becomes especially important as renewable penetration grows. We cannot think about generation, transmission, storage, and our distribution grid as separate conversations anymore. A reliable, cleaner system requires all of these pieces being planned together and moving together.”
$100 million to advance technology
“We were recently approved by our commission to implement what we’re calling the Carbon Free Future Development Fund, and this is a $100 million program designed to accelerate innovative energy resources that face high upfront costs, costs for longer development timelines. That includes technologies like long duration energy storage, geothermal, advanced nuclear, and other clean firm resources.”
Role of storage
“And storage is central to that conversation because it gives our system operators options. Short duration storage helps with daily balancing and peak needs. Long-duration storage will help us manage complex conditions over multiple hours and multiple days. And as that technology evolves, it can become a bridge between the renewable resources that we are adding today and the clean, firm capability we will need deeper into the transition. But I also want to be honest about the work that we have ahead of us. Storage is not a magic answer by itself. Integration matters, siting matters, safety matters, supply chains matter, interconnection, permitting, community trust, and keeping customer bills as low as possible. All of this matters in the decisions that we are making.”
Moving from ambition to execution
“So, if I could leave you with one thought as the conference gets underway, maybe this: storage is not simply an add-on to the clean energy transition. It is an integral resource that can help make the transition durable. It can help us move from ambition to execution, from intermittent resources to a more flexible system, and from long-term goals to practical customer value.”
Complexity of this machine
“And the work ahead will not be simple. The electric grid is one of our most complex systems, complex machines ever built, and we are asking it to do more in ways that it has not done ever before.”
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