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Xcel will pony up for wind power at party conventions

By Jerd Smith, Rocky Mountain News

Published June 10, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Xcel Energy, the electric provider for both the Republican and Democratic national conventions, has agreed to donate the extra cost to power both events with wind energy.

Xcel provides power to Denver, where the Democratic National Convention will be in August, and to Minneapolis, where the Republicans will convene in September.

The move helps the political parties reduce the CO2 emissions associated with each gathering, something both have pledged to do to help fight global warming.

"We are pleased to provide clean, renewable power to the conventions because we want to display for the nation's elected leaders and delegates what a 21st-century utility can look like," Dick Kelly, Xcel Energy chairman, said in a statement Monday.

Xcel said the conventions combined would use about 3,000 megawatt hours of power.

The donated wind power is worth about $30,000, a utility spokesman said.

That much coal-generated power would produce about 1,800 to 2,000 tons of CO2. Replacing it with clean wind power would be as beneficial as taking 300 to 330 cars off the road annually, the American Wind Energy Association said.

"We've asked all of our partners to do what they can to be sustainable," said Damon Jones, spokesman for the Democratic National Convention Committee in Denver. "Our commitment is to be as environmentally sustainable as we possibly can be. A step that a major provider like Xcel is taking will help minimize our carbon footprint as much as possible."

Matt Burns, Republican National Convention spokesman, could not be reached for comment.

Wind for the convention will come primarily from Xcel's Ponnequin wind facility near the Colorado-Wyoming border and one in southwestern Minnesota.

Small amounts of power will also be derived from permanent solar panels being installed on each convention center.