2008 Colorado Renewable Energy Conference Comes to Pueblo
June 6-8, featuring Congressman Mark Udall and Other Experts
to show how Renewable Energy is Fueling Prosperity!
click here for full details
March 2008
Cultivating Green Jobs
The Rocky Mountain News
www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/mar/08/cultivating-green-jobs
Governor’s Energy Office (GEO) launches a Residential Solar Program for municipalities, utilities and non-profit organizations. www.coseia.org/geosolargrants.htm
January 2008: Solar Energy News Flash:
After months of discussion with the state’s solar industry, the Colorado Department of Revenue has determined that solar electric modules* do in fact qualify under HB 1279 - Solar Energy Equipment Sales Tax Exemption.
Passed by the Legislature in 2007, HB 1279 now provides PV system buyers with an additional financial incentive; a State Sales Tax Waiver of 2.9%
The decision is retroactive to May 23, 2007. So, if you have already paid State Sales Tax on your PV system, please download this form and send to the State’s Department of Revenue for a refund.
click here for CO Department of Revenue Solar Sales Tax Exemption form
COLORADO DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
1375 SHERMAN STREET
DENVER CO 80261
(303) 238-SERV (7378)
Language of the Bill:
HB 1279 provided that: Effective May, 23, 2007, this exemption was expanded to include machinery and machine tools, or parts for such machinery, used in the production of electricity from a renewable energy source, including but not limited to wind. The exemption for purchases of renewable energy electricity production machinery and parts applies whether or not the purchases are capitalized or expensed. This exemption applies to the machinery, such as the wind generator or solar panel, but not to supporting structures or to transmission lines coming from the machinery. This exemption is applicable for both commercial and residential installations. * The decision applies only to solar electric modules, not inverters or other wiring
Northeast Denver Housing Center Goes Solar!
Xcel seeks Colo. rate hike to offset higher fuel costs DENVER
Residential and small-business customers would see electricity bills increase about 11 percent beginning in October under a proposal Xcel Energy submitted Friday to Colorado regulators.
http://www.denverpost.com/business/ci_6896422
SolSource Client Profiled in Boulder Green Building Journal
http://www.bgbg.org/news/bgbj/BGBJ_Summer_07.pdf
The house that Gore should have built
If a house is a political statement and energy use is for the '00s what marital infidelity was for the '90s, David Adlai Adamson could be real presidential timber. View Full Story
WASHINGTON, DC, USA, August 1, 2007
Consumption of renewable energies in the United States increased 2% between 2004 and 2005, while the country’s total At 6.6 quadrillion btu (quads), the market share of renewables is almost 7%, slightly higher than in recent years, notes the latest ‘Renewable Energy Annual’ produced by the U.S. Department of Energy. The utility and industrial sectors are the largest portions of renewable energy consumption, with 56% and 29% of the market, respectively.
www.cres-energy.org/clips/clips_07apr08_20.html
May 1, 2007 Press Release - When Dinosaurs Meet Solar Energy
www.denver.yourhub.com/Golden/Stories/Environment/Lifestyle/Story
Denver - Making the Business Case for Solar Photovoltaics
Xcel energy Pays back in Solar Rewards to consumers who invest in PV systems to save money
Full Article
September 10, 2006
Denver Post - Tiny turbines show green affinity in city
SolSource contractor, Advanced Energy Systems is installing a PV system
on the Mercury Café in Denver.
Full Article
August 25, 2006
Rocky Mountain News - Customers going solar thanks to Xcel rebate
Full Article
July 12, 2006
Mayor Hickenlooper Announces Greenprint Denver Plan
http://www.greenprintdenver.org/
In his State of the City address, Mayor Hickenlooper announced a long-term, citywide initiative called Greenprint Denver to promote the importance of sustainable development and ecologically-friendly practices. The Plan calls for
the broad use of renewable energy technologies.
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June 11, 2006
Western Governors Adopt Policies on Clean, Diversified Energy, Global Climate Change and Transportation Fuels
Western governors committed to take action on a number of fronts to bring on-line substantially more clean and diversified energy resources, improve energy efficiency and ensure there is adequate transmission available at a reasonable cost well into the future. The WGA report entitled, “Clean Energy, a Strong Economy and a Healthy Environment.” calls for developing an additional 30,000 megawatts of clean energy by 2015; increasing energy efficiency 20 percent by 2020; and ensuring secure, reliable transmission for the next 25 years.
October 3, 2006
Renewables still account for only 9% of total power generation, with wind experiencing growth of 26% between 2004 and 2005, while biofuel grew 15%, it explains. Wind energy now accounts for 3% of total green power, compared with 1% in 2001.
“Data revisions and changes in the definition of biofuels combined to have a greater effect on the renewable energy balance than actual changes in the renewable energy industry,”
notes the 11th annual report published by DOE’s Energy Information Administration. Renewables in the report include biomass (wood, wood waste, municipal solid waste, landfill gas, ethanol and biodiesel and other biomass); geothermal; wind; solar (solar thermal and photovoltaic); and conventional hydropower. Hydroelectric pumped storage is excluded because it is based on non-renewable energy sources.
Renewable energy consumed (by electric only and combined heat and power plants) remained flat at 4,000 trillion btu between 2004 and 2005, at just over 60% of renewable energy demand. Renewables consumed for non-electric use increased 7% from 2.360 quads to 2.525 and most of the change since was driven by growth in biofuel consumption in the transportation and industrial sectors (at biorefineries used to produce biofuels).
Renewables provided 365 billion kWh (9% of total U.S. generation) in 2005, of which conventional hydroelectric provided 74%. The largest year-to-year increase (4 billion kWh) was for the wind industry, which provided half the output of geothermal in 2001 but now exceeds that technology.
Of green power generation, 90% was in the electricity sector, while the industrial and commercial sectors accounted for the remainder. Renewable electric capacity increased by 2% to 98,791 MW in 2005.
“Although geothermal capacity increased by only 130 MW during 2005, there are proposals to greatly expand the geothermal resource base to be exploited,” it notes. A recent study commissioned by the DOE concluded that the U.S. has 100,000 MW of “enhanced geothermal capacity” which could be developed by 2050.
“Nevada and Arizona had the largest solar renewable portfolio standard requirements in place during 2005, and this is reflected in future plans for solar-electric generating plants,” it adds. During 2007, the 64 MW Nevada Solar One (south of Las Vegas) will become the largest solar PV plant to be operating in the world during the past 15 years although, during 2005, only a single new PV plant went into operation, the 1 MW Saguaro plant in Arizona.
CRES Clips Legislature Doubles Renewable Energy Requirement to 20% |
