This week, the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association (COSEIA), released a new report titled “7 Principles on How To Get To 100% Clean Energy by 2040.”
According to their blog post announcing the report, “Colorado is in the middle of a dynamic evolution in the generation and delivery of electricity because customers are demanding choices and direct participation in how energy is generated and managed.” That fact, coupled with some of the major milestones to hit the energy market in the past month poise the state to potentially lead the way to an innovative clean energy transition.
Some highlights from last month include a groundbreaking announcement of the state’s largest utility moving to zero carbon emissions by 2050 followed by a municipal utility making a similar pledge, and finally a rural electric cooperative in the West (Delta Montrose Electric Association) asking state regulators to weigh in on a fair exit fee from their coal-heavy electricity supplier. However, this report in particular falls in line with new governor-elect Jared Polis’ 100% clean energy by 2040 goal.
Is your County or community interested in leading the way to the renewable energy shift, or have you already pledged to go 100% renewable by a certain date, and need some technical expertise to draft your action plan? Solar Energy International’s Solar Forward program offers technical consulting and tools to help your community kickstart, or support an existing solar market.
COSEIA recommends prioritizing the following actions to achieve a 100% renewable energy goal by 2040:
1) Use all proven clean energy technologies
2) Support customer choice to access products and services
3) Level playing field for all participants
4) Share benefits of solar and storage across Colorado
5) Identify grid services provided by solar and storage and compensation mechanisms
6) Adjust rate designs to better align cost and value of services
7) Build a network for the future
Read the full report here.
For more information on Solar Forward, visit the webpage or email the program manager at [email protected].
