Reliance on Solar Projects Threatening Colorado’s Outlook on Grid Reliability
As Colorado moves to retire legacy fossil-fuel power plants in order to meet Governor Polis’s goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040, the state is increasingly reliant on wind and solar to meet our electricity needs. And now, thanks to supply chain snarls hitting the solar industry, our ability to keep the lights on next […]
Building Energy Code Board Members Announced
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) has released the names of the final members of the state’s new Energy Code Advisory Board tasked with implementing the recently passed HB 22-1362, a cost raising piece of the legislation that seeks to encourage building electrification. Here’s the final make up of the board, per the CEO website: Board […]
Don’t Get Used to the Recent Drop in Gas Prices
Despite Governor Polis’s last minute hand-wringing, the EPA has announced that expensive new gasoline requirements will absolutely be coming to the Denver Metro area. According to the Colorado Sun: The Environmental Protection Agency can’t let Colorado off the hook for imposing more expensive reformulated gas to fight ozone pollution beginning in 2024, the agency said in […]
Don’t Let Anyone Tell You Nuclear Takes Too Long to Build
I’ve extolled the virtues of nuclear energy for its reliability, clean emissions, efficient land use, “just transition” potential, and energy security upside on several occasions. I’ve even documented why many of the fears surrounding nuclear and aversion to its deployment are often irrational and misguided. But one of the legitimate, good-faith critiques of nuclear is […]
Sky High Gas Bills Coming This Winter
Last week I wrote about the costs and consequences of underrating natural gas infrastructure, which are currently most pronounced in New England this winter in the form of exorbitant bills and inadequate supply. But it turns out Colorado, while being in better shape than our northeastern counterparts, is not immune to the disruptions roiling the […]
Smart Thermostats Are Looking Like Dumb Policy
Earlier this month Xcel Energy made national headlines when it locked out 22,000 customers in Colorado from adjusting their thermostats as temperatures rose into the 90s. Those affected were customers who had signed up for the Colorado AC Rewards program, which allows the company to adjust the temperature setting on internet-connected “smart thermostats.” In exchange […]
The Real-World Costs and Consequences of Restricting Natural Gas
Apropos of next week’s hearing at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission—in which the PUC plans to take public comment on a proposed rule that would dramatically affect natural gas line extensions—news out of New England offers a grim look at the consequences of underrating sufficient natural gas capacity. Per the Washington Examiner: Authorities in New England are staring […]
Independence Institute Tells the Public Utilities Commission to Pump the Brakes on De-Facto Gas Ban
The PUC is holding a Zoom public comment hearing on these rules on Monday, September 19th at 9am. People who wish to participate in that hearing can find more information here. They can also submit written comments referencing Proceeding No. 21R-0449G by clicking here. In the 2021 legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly passed SB21-264, […]
New DOE Study Finds 5 Coal Plant Sites in Colorado That Could Convert to Nuclear
A brand new study released today from the Department of Energy (DOE) finds multiple locations in Colorado that could benefit from a coal-to-nuclear power transition. The study authors examined both operational and recently retired (within the last 10 years) coal plants across the country to screen for siting characteristics deemed favorable for a nuclear conversion. […]
Poll: Nuclear Energy Now Enjoys Broad Support Among the American Public
Soaring energy prices, geopolitical instability, and climate change—both itself, and misbegotten policy responses to it—have cast a new light on the need firm up the domestic production of clean and dependable energy. The realization has been stark among political leaders around the world, many of whom have been forced to reverse course on rash plans […]
China Ready to Ramp Up Nuclear Energy Production, U.S. Must Counter
There’s an arms race afoot in energy production, and the U.S. is at risk of falling behind. No longer are we able to rest on our laurels as the world’s number one producer of oil and gas. Thanks to global commitments to pursue a “clean energy transition”, countries like China have been able to establish […]
Is Colorado On Track for a California-Style Gas Car Ban? What We Know So Far
A couple of weeks back, California made headlines when it finalized plans to ban the sale of all gas-powered vehicles in the state by 2035. This radical new rule marked the first instance of a government anywhere in the world passing a 100% zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate. It also left many Coloradans wondering if […]
