Colorado Lawmakers Reintroduce Nuclear Feasibility Bill
The potential for introducing small-modular reactors (SMRs) to Colorado will get a second look at the state legislature thanks to a new bill currently being considered. HB23-1080, sponsored by Representative Ty Winter (R.) and Senator Byron Pelton (R.), would direct the Colorado Energy Office to conduct a feasibility study for the use of SMRs as […]
Jake Fogleman Talks Xcel Energy Bills, Colorado Climate Policy on the George Brauchler Show
Policy analyst Jake Fogleman joined the George Brauchler Show on 710 KNUS to talk about the sky-high energy bills Xcel customers have been seeing this winter due to a pancaking series of rate hikes granted by the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. They also discuss who is ultimately to blame for those rate hikes, the reality […]
Jake Fogleman Talks Natural Gas Saving Colorado’s Grid, Nuclear Energy on the Mandy Connell Show
Policy analyst Jake Fogleman joined the Mandy Connell Show on 850 KOA to talk about his article on Colorado’s dunkelflaute episode that saw fossil fuels save the stability of Colorado’s electric grid. They also discuss the pros and cons of nuclear power and why the state’s policymakers would be wise to consider championing it if they […]
Fossil Fuels Bail Out Colorado’s Grid Yet Again
Coloradans might want to begin brushing up on their German. At least enough to be familiar with the word Dunkelflaute, which roughly translates to “dark doldrums.” The term describes a weather pattern of low wind and limited sunlight that makes generating electricity from renewables nearly impossible. The event is relatively common in northern and western Europe during […]
Denver City Council Punts on Residential Natural Gas Ban as Arctic Cold Front Moves In
Gas bans are all the rage these days among environmentalists and progressive lawmakers. The town of Crested Butte got the ball rolling this August by becoming the first jurisdiction in Colorado to ban the use of gas in all new construction. The city of Louisville, not content with the pain its current cost-raising green energy […]
NERC Report: Most of US Electric Grid Facing Looming Reliability Concerns
The nation’s grid watchdog is once again sounding the alarm about looming reliability risks to the country’s electric grid. The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) released its latest Long-Term Reliability Assessment last Thursday. The report found that broad swaths of the country’s regional electric grids face, at minimum, an “elevated risk” of resource shortfalls over […]
Putting This Week’s Fusion News in Context
By now you’ve probably seen dozens of headlines about scientists achieving a breakthrough in fusion energy this week. While the news is cause for celebration, expectations for an imminent supply of limitless clean energy should be tempered. On December 5th, the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory successfully achieved a net energy gain from […]
Polis Admin Unveils Latest Electric Vehicle Policy, Avoids California-Style Gas Vehicle Ban
The Polis administration appears to favor the carrot over the stick to encourage electric vehicle adoption. The administration on Thursday released its updated roadmap for encouraging the electrification of the state’s transportation sector, which includes a goal of “nearly 100% of light-duty vehicles being electric by 2050, 100% of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles being zero emissions, […]
EIA: Coal Still King in Colorado
Colorado often fancies itself as a leader in the so-called clean energy transition. And in some ways it has earned that reputation. The state became the first in the nation to enact a renewable portfolio standard by citizen’s initiative, for example, all the way back in 2004. And the Colorado General Assembly routinely passes new […]
New PUC Report Points to Future Reliability Risks to Colorado’s Grid
A new report from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission is sounding alarm bells on the reliability risks posed to the state’s grid as wind and solar continue to replace fossil fuel plants. According to Colorado Public Radio: Heat waves and freezing temperatures won’t be the only risks for Colorado’s power grid in the future, state regulators […]
Xcel Proposes Yet Another Rate Hike
Colorado’s largest utility is back before the PUC requesting another rate increase, this time a $312.2 million bump in electric rates. The request is just the latest to arrive in 2022, a year that has come to represent a cost-hike bonanza for the energy monopoly. The PUC already approved a $182.2 million electric rate hike […]
As Wind Turbines Falter, Gas Saves the Day in the U.K.
Renewables advocates are constantly downplaying the risks associated with intermittency. When the wind isn’t blowing, or the sun isn’t shining, we’re assured that batteries and electricity imports from neighboring jurisdictions can fill in the gaps. The problem, of course, is that current viable battery technology is only capable of storing power in 4-hour intervals, and […]
