Energy, Utilities & Water  April 4, 2018

NoCo clean-energy group criticizes PRPA net-zero study

LONGMONT — Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy has released a second, more detailed review, of the Zero Net Carbon analysis that the Platte River Power Authority finalized in December.

The new critique, prepared by Salt Lake City-based Energy Strategies, shows the Zero Net Carbon analysis underestimates opportunities that would make transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy sources possible by 2030.

“In addition to identifying missed opportunities in the ZNC report, the Energy Strategies study will help to inform a path forward for Longmont, Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2030,” Abby Driscoll, chair of the board of directors for Sustainable Resilient Longmont, said in a prepared statement.

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The ZNC analysis was released by the PRPA after its four member communities expressed interest in reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with electric power. The PRPA found it could achieve a zero net-carbon profile by 2030 with costs that would only be 8 percent higher than its usual budget.

The Energy Strategies analysis points out that while the Zero Net Carbon report made a positive path for reaching a level of no net carbon, it used an overly conservative estimate for the declining costs of renewable energy and battery storage technologies. It also excluded battery storage technology from the model it used and inadequately modeled demand-side resources such as efficiency, demand response and distributed generation. Additionally , it was overly conservative in its future pricing of carbon dioxide emissions.

The Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy is calling for the inclusion of a robust stakeholder engagement process in the PRPA’s development of its Integrated Resource Plan, which will take place later this year. The Integrated Resource Plan will set the path for the switch to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

 

LONGMONT — Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy has released a second, more detailed review, of the Zero Net Carbon analysis that the Platte River Power Authority finalized in December.

The new critique, prepared by Salt Lake City-based Energy Strategies, shows the Zero Net Carbon analysis underestimates opportunities that would make transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy sources possible by 2030.

“In addition to identifying missed opportunities in the ZNC report, the Energy Strategies study will help to inform a path forward for Longmont, Fort Collins, Loveland and Estes Park to achieve…

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