Tag Archives: Excel Energy

Q&A: Report outlines cost of continued reliance on coal

By Allen Best, Energy News Network

Rural ratepayers in the Rocky Mountain region will pay hundreds of millions of dollars more for electricity if their wholesale supplier fails to take advantage of low-cost renewable energy opportunities, according to a new report released today.

Tri-State Generation & Transmission supplies power to 43 member electrical co-operatives in New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Together, the co-ops have a million customers, which in the co-op setup are also members. Continue reading here.

Rocky Mountain Institute Report: A Low-Cost Energy Future For Western Cooperatives: Emerging Opportunities For Cooperative Electric Utilities To Pursue Clean Energy At A Cost Savings To Their Members

Photo: The Laramie River Station near Wheatland, Wyoming. Tri State Generation owns a share of the facility.

Tri-State Generation & Transmission Territory 

 


Nebraska
CR Chimney Rock Public Power District, Bayard
MW The Midwest Electric Cooperative Corporation, Grant
NW Northwest Rural Public Power District, Hay Springs
PH Panhandle Rural Electric Membership Association, Alliance
RS Roosevelt Public Power District, Scottsbluff
WB Wheat Belt Public Power District, Sidney

Minnesota will ‘get the ball rolling’ on community solar today

 by Frank Jossi, Midwest Energy News

Expectations are high today as Minnesota’s largest utility begins accepting applications for community solar projects at 9 a.m. today.

It’s anyone’s guess how many solar garden developers will submit on the first day of business for Xcel Energy‘s Solar Rewards Community program. Some developers have already marketed and sold out projects that have been not formally approved.

“We see high interest in this and we expect we’ll see a lot of applications but we don’t know what the pace will be,” said Laura McCarten, regional vice president. “One estimated guess is we could get 100 megawatts of applications, but we’ll see how it unfolds. Time will tell.”

The reason for the potentially large number of applicants is that Minnesota is the first state not to cap the amount of power that can be generated from community solar gardens. In Colorado, where Xcel also operates, the state imposed a limit of 6 MW on the amount of power that can be installed annually.

To continue reading, click here.

Nebraska Community Solar Development:
Lincoln Electric System’s SunShares
Central City plans to build state’s first community solar farm, by Algis J. Laukaitis, Lincoln Journal Star

First solar garden in Minneapolis sold out

McClatchy-Tribune Regional News – David Shaffer, Star Tribune (Minneapolis)

The first community solar garden on Xcel Energy’s electrical system in Minnesota has been sold out and construction is expected to begin later this year, the developer said Monday.

MN Community Solar, which plans to install solar panels atop a Minneapolis commercial building, said 25 subscribers have signed up to share in the output of the array at a maximum cost of about $950 for a 205-watt unit.

To read the complete article, click here:
http://www.energycentral.com/generationstorage/solar/news/en/31555805/First-solar-garden-in-Minneapolis-sold-out