by Rebecca Walker — March 26, 2010—Colorado has increased its renewable energy standard to require large utilities to obtain 30 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2020.
Governor Bill Ritter signed the legislation on March 22, noting that the new standard makes it the “best in the Rocky Mountain West” and one of the highest in the nation. In 2004, the state became the first in the United States to have a voter-approved renewable energy standard, when a referendum was approved calling for 10 percent renewable power by 2015. In 2007, state legislation increased the requirement to 20 percent renewable energy by 2020, a target that the new legislation increased by another 50 percent.
As with the previous law, the new law credits electricity produced from solar energy, wind power, geothermal energy, biomass power (including power generated from non-toxic plants, animal wastes, and methane from landfills and wastewater treatment facilities), small hydropower, “recycled” electricity from waste heat, and fuel cells powered with hydrogen derived from eligible renewable energy resources.
The new law requires utilities to supply at least 12 percent of their retail electric sales from such sources from 2011 to 2014, 20 percent from 2015 to 2019, and 30 percent for 2020 and thereafter. Those requirements apply to all provides of retail electric service in the state, with the exception of municipal utilities serving 40,000 customers or fewer. In-state power facilities receive extra credit towards the requirements.
For more information, see the governors press release or the full text of the legislation.
