Xcel leads U.S. in wind power
Gargi Chakrabarty
Published April 2, 2008 at 1:07 p.m.
Updated April 2, 2008 at 11:54 p.m.
Xcel Energy retained its No. 1 status in wind-generated electricity for the third year in a row.
Colorado's biggest utility had 2,635 megawatts of wind power in 2007, ahead of any other investor- owned utility in the United States, according to annual rankings released Wednesday by the American Wind Energy Association, a Washington, D.C.-based trade group.
"Wind power is an integral part of our generating portfolio, and it has become a significant part of our nation's response to environmental challenges like climate change," said Dick Kelly, Xcel's chairman, president and CEO. "With the right public policy, it will be a growing and affordable part of our long-term plans."
Xcel also propelled Colorado to the No. 2 state in new wind power capacity in 2007, with 776 megawatts added behind Texas' 1,618 megawatts added, the group reported.
Colorado also has direct links to other toppers in the annual rankings.
FPL Energy also runs Colorado's biggest wind farm - a 400-megawatt project near Peetz, north of Sterling.
Wind-turbine manufacturer Vestas recently opened its first U.S. blade manufacturing facility near Windsor.
And the trend continues, with Xcel announcing competitive bids last month for new wind-power generation totaling 150 megawatts.
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April 3, 2008
6:10 a.m.
Suggest removal
masondav2004 writes:
Xcel does not own most of their wind generation- they buy the power under long-term contracts. And Xcel, wanting to add capital investment to their rate base, is in the process of seeking approval for construction of their own wind generation. The RFPs recently issued, while covering purchased power agreements, also call for "build-transfer" projects, i.e., letting a contractor develop a wind site for sale to the utility.
Supposedly, Xcel-owned facilities mean lower bills for consumers, as the purchased power contracts have a negative impact on Xcel's credit rating, which means the utility pays more for capital and equity infusions. These additional costs then get passed on to the ratepayers.
April 4, 2008
8:05 a.m.
Suggest removal
masondav2004 writes:
They pay the premium because coal is very cheap. At this point, wind costs more per MWh or KWh of generation. This is likely to change as the system shifts significant generation from coal to wind.
And frankly, I like the idea of forcing ALL Xcel ratepayers to assume the costs for wind. I don't know why this isn't happening...