The Governor's Energy Office (GEO), in compliance with Senate Bill 2007-091, worked with members from utilities and the renewable energy community to produce the report ‘Connecting Colorado's Renewable Resources to the Markets.’ The report identifies renewable energy resources in the electricity sector that will advance Colorado to a new energy economy.
The task force reports that Colorado's abundant renewable resources provide opportunities to improve the state's energy, economic and environmental conditions. Colorado will continue to benefit by adding more renewable energy and expanding its limited transmission infrastructure to serve its population and what may evolve as a regional electric power marketplace, according to the report.
The report specifically identifies 96 GW of wind capacity in the Eastern Plains and solar capacity of 26 GW in southern Colorado. Colorado's electric load peaks at 11 GW.
The report also details how Colorado's transmission is constrained and why new high-voltage transmission lines are needed to connect the state's rich renewable resources to electric customers.
‘By identifying our areas of greatest resource, we can leverage these solar, wind and other renewables to provide more clean power, jobs and revenue for our state,’ says Tom Plant, director of GEO.
‘Connecting Colorado's Renewable Resources to the Markets’ has been distributed to legislators, utilities, the Clean Energy Development Authority and other interested parties.
For more information, visit colorado.gov/energy.
