SPEAKOUT: Diversifying energy
By Alice Madden and Pam Kiely
Published June 10, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Two summers ago, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth swept the nation. Moviegoers from coast to coast streamed out of theaters haunted by images of receding glaciers and elected officials sitting around, doing nothing to fight global warming.
Here in Colorado, electricity production creates more than one-third of our pollution, which makes cleaning up this sector one of the most important things we can do.
The good news is that we've already started. Colorado's New Energy Economy holds the promise of a collective, homegrown solution to global warming and high energy costs. In 2004, voters took the first step by approving Amendment 37, the first citizen-initiated renewable-energy standard. Since then, we have doubled that original goal. By 2020, 20 percent of our energy will come from clean, reliable sources.
But more needs to be done. To protect our air, land and water, Coloradans are ready to take an active part in building an economy powered by sustainable resources.
Unfortunately, becoming part of the solution can come with a hefty price tag. Simply put, homegrown power is not cheap. The cost for an average home solar system can approach $25,000. Even with incentives from local utilities, homeowners might still have to pay nearly one-half of the total cost to get solar panels up and running - an upfront cost that is often prohibitive. Large-scale home energy-efficiency improvements, or individual wind turbines, are pricey, too.
The solution? Give cities and counties the tools they need to help consumers afford the upfront costs. HB 1350, which Gov. Bill Ritter recently signed into law, is this bold step. The legislation enables cities and counties to provide low-interest loans for clean-energy improvements. After all, cutting utility costs for consumers and feeding more clean energy into the grid are in the state's best interests.
Increasing our commitment to homegrown power will fundamentally transform how and where we get our energy. By tackling upfront costs, HB 1350 provides an opportunity for every home, farm, ranch and small business in Colorado to reduce pollution and join the new energy economy. More Coloradans will immediately have a chance to cut their monthly utility bills and realize long-term savings.
In addition, diversifying our energy portfolio translates into energy independence, enhanced reliability and billions of dollars in saved transmission and capital costs. The less demand there is on the grid, the less need there is to build costly coal and natural gas plants.
In 2004, Colorado had less than 1 megawatt of solar installed. By 2007, that number had jumped to 24 MW. As a result, residential renewable-energy businesses have tripled in just over three years, with job growth above 3,000 percent. As we install clean energy in more homes, the clean-energy industry will create more high-paying jobs for the Colorado economy.
So, don't worry if you were one of those leaving the movie theater searching for a way to get involved - Colorado's New Energy Economy is coming soon to a home near you. By thinking outside the box just a little - and taking bold steps paving the way for clean-energy financing programs - we can help create the opportunity for everyone to play a meaningful role. At the end of the day, it's important that we're all part of the Colorado solution to global warming.
Rep. Alice Madden, D-Boulder, is the majority leader of the Colorado House of Representatives. Pam Kiely is the legislative program director for Environment Colorado.
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June 10, 2008
5:43 a.m.
Suggest removal
Rangerjoe1 writes:
Hey Alice can't we just think warm and fuzzy thought and it will all go away. We can "Invent" a better fairtale than Cores Inconvient Lie. Find a solution to the high cost of living in Boulder so that average Colorado workers don't have to commute from affordable Colorado towns. Just think of the brown cloud Boulder eliets create. But, Keep thinking good thoughts.
June 10, 2008
6:37 a.m.
Suggest removal
VVVV writes:
Nice! The solution to the high energy costs is to take our tax money to subsidize the wealthy with low cost loans so they can become more wealthy, and use less of a resource which will make prices go even higher, not to mention the high cost paid back to those same wealthy people for power they don't use.
Nevermind the continual reminders throughout the article that this technology is too expensive to be installed profitably without your help, just send cash now and we can have a better future (we in no way implies inclusion of you. Participants must be marginally above poverty line to play. Chances of winning 0:100)
June 10, 2008
7 a.m.
Suggest removal
Mike_In_Hartsel writes:
Alice, the "images of receding glaciers" were faked in the movie. Does that surprise you? It shouldn't because the entire movie was garbage. Those tax incentives are coming right out of the tax payer's pockets, right where your hand is every session. Tax and spend, tax and spend. If there isn't a need then create one.
The best "Colorado solution to global warming" would be to eliminate the hot air coming out of Denver when the legislature meets.
June 10, 2008
8:16 a.m.
Suggest removal
FlyfishDude52 writes:
OK Let's get a bill going that does away with or negates the commnetary of the tree huggers. We need Nuclear power plants NOW! We have the technology even if the rest of the world is incapable of using it safely.
Alice, are you advocating that every hybrid car have a wind turbine to generate the electricity? That's just as realistic as an inconvenient lie!!!
June 10, 2008
8:51 a.m.
Suggest removal
zippy66 writes:
So...I can take out a $25,000 loan from the government to install solar panels on my house, that won't increase the resale value, in an effort to use an inconsistent renewable energy source that taxpayers are already subsidizing to the tune of $24.34 per megawatt hour?
Where do I sign up? More importantly, why didn't Rep. Madden run a bill to mandate this?
June 10, 2008
8:59 a.m.
Suggest removal
pak writes:
Gore's movie was found to have 35 lies, inacuracies, mistatements, etc. and has been shown to be nothing more than a grands piece of propaganda. Renewables are fine but they work only 33% of the time and have to be backed up by expensive dispatcheble gas. Gas demand is so high we are importing 20% of our needs as LNG from countries that hate our guts. China has built 150 coal fired power plants since 2005 and installed 186,000 mw of coal fired power in 2006 and 2007 alone. Man caused GHG's is only .2% of the world's total and over 31,000 scientists have signed a letter stating that man does not cause global warming. 450,000 years of ice core data show that warming and cooling is natural and CO2 is a lagging indicator of temp change. Nuclear is nice but we import 80% of the fuel. The answer here is the same answer for the rest of the world... coal to liquids and coal gassification. It is absolutely naive and dangerous to think we can cut CO2 here and have any effect whatsoever on world climate. All we will do is ruin our economy and ship our jobs to China and India.
June 10, 2008
10:41 a.m.
Suggest removal
JSeifert writes:
SOOOOOO when is the Nuclear plant going up because to provide the amount of electric power we need today solar will not work and unless the eastern plains from the mountains to Kansas border is becoming one great big wind farm that will not work. So tell me this new Fantastic new energy source that no one knows about? Did aliens come down in the state capital and give the secret to cheap non polluting energy? Or are people raising horse and making buggies again I guess I better get on the band wagon and start making buggy whips. Making laws to produce energy before you have that technology to make that energy is like buy food before it has been grown. Stupit!
June 10, 2008
12:43 p.m.
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gamby writes:
People, the solution is clear. Pass a law mandating the installation of solar panels on all homes. Homeowners making, say, $50,000 to $90,000 pay for it themselves. Homeowners making above $90,000 must pay for it themselves and also the full cost of those homeowners who make less that $50,000. That way no tax dollars would be used.
June 10, 2008
1:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
rickg19611 writes:
"Two summers ago, Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth swept the nation. Moviegoers from coast to coast streamed out of theaters haunted by images of receding glaciers and elected officials sitting around, doing nothing to fight global warming."
And now Americans have learned that Al Gore committed fraud by using MOVIE SPECIAL EFFECTS footage and claiming it was real.
Just like global warming... a fraudulent fantasy invented by people wanting to make money.
June 10, 2008
1:44 p.m.
Suggest removal
rickg19611 writes:
gumby....
"Homeowners making above $90,000 must pay for it themselves and also the full cost of those homeowners who make less that $50,000. That way no tax dollars would be used."
Forcing one family to pay for another family's installation of solar panels IS A TAX!
Try selling that boondoggle plan to Americans. The only one's stupid enough to swallow that nonsense are the morons that think Al Gore's fake-umentary was a documentary.
June 10, 2008
1:59 p.m.
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gamby writes:
rickg19611
Satire, my man, satire.
June 10, 2008
3:10 p.m.
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windbourne writes:
Alice and Pam;
Nice article, but so much is lacking. In particular, one industry that CO should be in is geothermal. Ritter and the dems have done very little but chase what other states are doing.
OTH, if you dems would give equal funding to other AE, then we might get somewhere. For example, geo-thermal heat pumps can lower the electricity needed for AC and greatly lower our monthly utility costs. Since HVAC takes about 2/3 of the energy of the average home, this would cut that in half or more. That would enable less wild swings on the grid.
In addition, we are unique in that we have plenty of geo-thermal for creating power. But it tends to be low temp. But what can be done is to increase the temp via solar thermal on good days, and natural gas during night/bad days. IOW, by combining techs, it would be possible to drop our energy costs a great deal.
But you dems need to quit chasing ppl like Schwarzenegger and Romeny and start being leaders. Both of these republican have done exactly what you are doing, so no leadership involved.
June 11, 2008
2:18 p.m.
Suggest removal
rpmcmurphy writes:
All of you should do some research on sunspot activity, or lack thereof, and find out how the cyclical nature of sunspots effects our climate. Nasa has put out a few reports about current sunspot activity that indicate we will soon be cooling off here on earth. How convenient would it be for the Al Gores to claim that they stopped global warming with their taxing activities and the influence of an Inconvenient movie.