Xcel Energy on Monday proposed adding nearly 1,000 megawatts of solar and wind power to its energy portfolio by 2015.
That is equal to a medium-sized coal-burning plant and enough energy to power 750,000 homes.
The utility filed its plan with the Public Utilities Commission.
Under state law, Xcel must generate 20 percent of its power from renewable sources by 2020. It currently generates 10 percent of its electricity from renewables.
Xcel issued a call for projects and received 113 bids offering a total of 21,150 megawatts, according to the filing.
"We analyzed all the bids and selected a group that we believe meet our future needs," said Joe Fuen tes, an Xcel spokesman.
The selected projects are still confidential pending PUC approval, Fuentes said. The commission has 45 days to comment.
Xcel chose projects that would provide:
• 700 megawatts of wind and a solar photovoltaic generating capacity.
• 280 megawatts of concentrating solar technology, which uses mirrors to focus the sun's heat to create steam to turn turbines and can store heat in fluids.
Last year, the utility also added about 170 megawatts of wind power, part of Xcel's long-range plan to add renewable power.
The renewable resources will be backed up by 900 megawatts of existing natural-gas turbines, the filing said.
In March, Xcel said forecasts showed a "significant reduction in demand" for electricity and cut its projected 2015 energy need by 6 percent to about 6,400 megawatts.
In a PUC filing, however, the company said that would not reduce its plans for adding renewable energy sources.
The proposed renewable portfolio would cut Xcel's emissions of carbon dioxide — a gas linked to climate change — by about 14 percent to 29 million tons in 2015, according to the filing.
Many of the details of Xcel's proposal are still confidential.
"This makes it hard for now to evaluate what they are proposing," said John Nielsen, energy-program director at Western Resource Advocates.
Mark Jaffe: 303-954-1912 or mjaffe@denverpost.com
No comments:
Post a Comment