The United States District Court for the District of Colorado on Friday maintained the legality of the Colorado Renewable Energy Standard, which requires utilities to procure up to 30 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2020.

On April 4, 2011, the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, on behalf of two of its members, sued the Colorado Public Utility Commission over the constitutionality of the state’s Renewable Energy Standard mandate.

The ruling favors the Solar Energy Industries Association and other defendants, including the Sierra Club and the state of Colorado.

In a ruling on May 1, the court also determined that the plaintiffs did not have standing to challenge the distributed generation carve-out and multiplier portions of the Renewable Energy Standard.

SEIA president and CEO Rhone Resch said, “… the court rightly found in favor of sound energy policy, which has led to significant investment and jobs for the state of Colorado. This is yet another example of a failed attack on solar and clean-energy by fossil fuel interests.”

In 2013, $233 million was invested in Colorado to install solar on homes and businesses, and there are more than 327 solar companies at work throughout the state, employing 3,600 Coloradans. The 331 megawatts of solar capacity installed in Colorado ranks the state eighth in the country in installed solar capacity and generates enough energy to power 59,600 average American homes.