Xcel Energy, Colorado's largest
energy provider, said it's continuing a program encouraging home solar sources to help it meet the state's
renewable energy mandate.
The proposal is part of a plan the Minneapolis-based utility submitted to state regulators on Friday.
Officials said the proposal puts them years ahead of a state mandate that requires that at least 30 percent of the company's energy comes from renewable sources by 2020.
The proposal outlines a 10-year comprehensive plan for meeting the state's renewable energy standard. But officials said they're only going to ask the state Public Utilities Commission to approve the next two years of the plan.
Colorado was the first state in the county to enact a renewable portfolio standard in 2004 when U.S. Sen. Mark Udall and Lola Spradley, a Republican and the first woman to serve as Colorado's House speaker teamed up for a renewable energy campaign.
Colorado voters decided public utilities serving at least 40,000 customers should be required to generate at least 10 percent of their electrical power from clean, renewable sources.
The mandate has since tripled.
Former Gov. Bill Ritter signed a new mandate last year requiring the 30 percent by 2020 goal.
Critics of the measure say the mandate drives up costs, and utilities would have to pass on the expense somehow.
Currently, there is an energy cap on how much utilities can charge their customers. Under the cap, utilities can't charge customers more than 2 percent of their previous year's bill to cover the cost of renewable energy.
Xcel officials said their new proposal tries to balance the clean energy fund collected from that 2 percent. They said more money has been spent on developing their renewable portfolio mix than has been collected from their customers.
Udall said Colorado has been establishing itself as a champion for renewable standards with Xcel leading the way.
"In providing that green energy can make you green, Xcel is making the case for how a (Renewable Electricity Standard) can create jobs, stimulate the economy and help us achieve energy independence," Udall said.
California passed a similar, more aggressive initiative in April, requiring that utilities draw at least 33 percent of their power from renewable sources such as solar and wind.
Energy coming from wind, biomass, solar and other renewable technologies was applicable to the state's
renewable portfolio standard, according to the Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency.
