To: The Colorado State House, The Colorado State Senate, and Governor Jared Polis
Expand Colorado Renewable Energy Gardens
I support the expansion of community-owned distributed generation in Colorado and request your help expanding renewable energy gardens as they provide individuals and businesses with a tool to encourage investment in local clean energy systems that will help reduce price volatility and increase energy reliability for the long term.
Colorado has great wind and other renewable resources and there are many Coloradoans who would like to invest in a local renewable energy project. Under existing state law governing the creation and operation of community solar gardens, shared renewable energy generation facilities are expressly limited to solar technologies.
I urge you to support a bill that expands the concept of community solar gardens allowing other types of retail distributed generation, including small wind, small hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass, to qualify for retail renewable energy credits in rural electric co-op territory. This would increase competition in the renewable energy marketplace and let everyone buy into local projects and choose the best renewable energy technology for their situation.
Colorado has great wind and other renewable resources and there are many Coloradoans who would like to invest in a local renewable energy project. Under existing state law governing the creation and operation of community solar gardens, shared renewable energy generation facilities are expressly limited to solar technologies.
I urge you to support a bill that expands the concept of community solar gardens allowing other types of retail distributed generation, including small wind, small hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass, to qualify for retail renewable energy credits in rural electric co-op territory. This would increase competition in the renewable energy marketplace and let everyone buy into local projects and choose the best renewable energy technology for their situation.
Why is this important?
The Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA) is pursuing legislation in the current Colorado legislative session both to establish credits for rural renewable energy gardens and to create a refundable income tax credit for small wind (please see separate sign-on at: http://distributedwind.org/take-action/state/support-colorado-refundable-income-tax-credit-for-small-wind/)
New provisions are needed to allow rural cooperative electric associations (co-ops) to use the production from shared wind and other facilities to meet their retail distributed generation requirements under Colorado's renewable energy standard. Subscribers of the shared facilities must be members of the co-op in whose service territory the facility is located, and the renewable energy credits must be allocated to a physical address within that service territory.
Distributed generation (DG) systems help diversify our energy supply and relieve some of the burden on energy producers during peak energy times in the summer and winter. Rural DG systems also avoid expensive transmission upgrades and projects that increase costs for all ratepayers. Coloradoans unable install their own wind turbines (i.e. renters and people in low wind areas), can help increase the amount of wind power in Colorado if co-ops are encouraged to allow shared investments in local wind projects. Similar community renewable initiatives are underway in several states from New York to Oregon that engage diverse communities and create accessible pathways to clean energy ownership.
Note: If appropriate, please include your company name together with your name or in the comment field.
New provisions are needed to allow rural cooperative electric associations (co-ops) to use the production from shared wind and other facilities to meet their retail distributed generation requirements under Colorado's renewable energy standard. Subscribers of the shared facilities must be members of the co-op in whose service territory the facility is located, and the renewable energy credits must be allocated to a physical address within that service territory.
Distributed generation (DG) systems help diversify our energy supply and relieve some of the burden on energy producers during peak energy times in the summer and winter. Rural DG systems also avoid expensive transmission upgrades and projects that increase costs for all ratepayers. Coloradoans unable install their own wind turbines (i.e. renters and people in low wind areas), can help increase the amount of wind power in Colorado if co-ops are encouraged to allow shared investments in local wind projects. Similar community renewable initiatives are underway in several states from New York to Oregon that engage diverse communities and create accessible pathways to clean energy ownership.
Note: If appropriate, please include your company name together with your name or in the comment field.