News

On Colorado tour, Biden touts clean energy spending such as Xcel’s to counter climate impacts

On a visit to the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) in Colorado, President Joe Biden joined Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and Xcel Energy Executive Chairman Ben Fowke to highlight the devastation of climate change and the need for renewable energy amid Congressional negotiations.

Backed by images of wind turbines and solar panels, the president and his Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, brought what was, on the whole, a simple message with immediacy: climate change is here and so is the need to invest.

“Leaders of both parties have recognized that a clean energy future is an economic imperative and a national security imperative and an environmental imperative,” Biden said. “That’s why my Build Back Better plan calls for significant new investments in upgrading research infrastructure, laboratories all across the country. We’ll be making one of those breakthroughs in solar, wind and storage out of these facilities. … Of course, we have to invest in the future. We need to deploy the cutting-edge technologies, and we have to deploy them today, not tomorrow. I had a chance to see the state-of-the-art wind turbine testing and new battery technologies. Because of the years of work that have taken place here — and these technologies aren’t science fiction — they’re ready to be installed and scaled up across the country, right now.”

In this regard, Biden and his accompaniment chose a perfect backing for the discussion, as NREL is dedicated to researching means of transforming the energy industry. That dedication to transformation has been echoed by Xcel Energy, Colorado’s largest electric utility.

“They’ve set a goal of producing 100 percent carbon emission-free power,” Biden said. “They’re the first major utility — the first major utility to set that goal. And today, over 20 large facilities around the nation have set a similar goal.”

Such efforts could lead to millions of union jobs and a stronger, more resilient grid in the face of extreme weather events across the U.S., according to Granholm. For Xcel’s part, the goal is to reach fully carbon-free electricity by 2050. It was indeed the first major U.S. power provider to make that pledge, and is now more than halfway to achieving it. So far, the company has reduced its carbon emissions 51 percent and intends to hit 80 percent emissions cuts by 2030. To counter the cuts needed to achieve this, Xcel is simultaneously pushing wind and solar to account for 65 percent of the energy it provides.

“We thank President Biden for visiting the National Renewable Energy Lab in Colorado to see first-hand the innovative, collaborative work being done to deliver a clean energy future in our state,” Fowke said. “To reach our carbon goals, and the goals of the nation, it’s going to take the kind of collaboration we see here at NREL, work that is integral to developing the technologies that will give our customers the carbon-free future we envision. Our industry is eager to work on this clean energy transition, and Xcel Energy is doing so with our employees and communities in mind. Our partnership with our employees and the International Brotherhood of Electrical workers is critical as we continue to move toward clean energy resources.”

Going forward, Xcel noted that carbon-free, always on and available generating resources will be needed to keep things reliable and affordable, though. That will require further work.

Such goals align with Biden’s administration, which has called for industry and lawmakers to pick up the pace. So far this year, Biden noted in his speech, 44,000 wildfires have burned nearly 5.6 million acres across the country and heavy rains and storms have flooded homes and smashed infrastructure. Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and it’s killing hundreds, along with causing billions of dollars in damage.

“The extreme weather we’re seeing is only going to come more frequently and with more ferocity,” Biden said. “And we’re blinking code red as a nation.”

But he also added that this is why he has set and believes in a goal of producing 100 percent carbon pollution-free power by 2035: what is caused by humans can be solved by humans. The bipartisan infrastructure bill, Biden believes — and with support from companies like Xcel — could still achieve that.

Chris Galford

Recent Posts

Limestone Ridge Project brings greater reliability to Southeast Missouri

In collaboration with Wabash Valley Power Alliance (WVPA), Ameren Transmission finished work on the Limestone Ridge Project at the end…

1 day ago

Consumers Energy partners with Muskegon County for 250 MW solar facility in Michigan

Beginning in April, Consumers Energy of Michigan, the Muskegon County Resource Recovery Center, and Moorland Township will work together to…

1 day ago

FirstEnergy completes sale of 30 percent stake in transmission subsidiary

FirstEnergy Corp. completed its sale of an additional 30 percent ownership interest in its FirstEnergy Transmission subsidiary to Brookfield Super-Core…

1 day ago

DOE to award $22M to improve permitting process for clean energy projects

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is awarding up to $22 million to improve planning, siting, and permitting processes for…

1 day ago

Kentucky legislature seeks to expand state’s power over coal plants

A bill in Kentucky that could become law soon has the utilities industry concerned, along with environmental, business, and consumer…

2 days ago

Duke Energy progress seeking approval to build new solar facility

Duke Energy Progress is seeking approval from the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) to build and own a…

2 days ago

This website uses cookies.