Solar power plants on the rise

A new report by Environment Colorado shows that developing solar power plants will reduce global warming pollution from U.S. electricity generation.

Denver, CO; Colorado's sunny skies are an endless vein the state can tap to supply clean renewable energy to meet growing U.S. demand for pollution free power, this according to a panel of energy advocates, industry experts, and legislators at a briefing today at the Colorado state capitol.

Our state's energy future rises every morning. By investing now in solar power plants, we can make sure that we ride this rise to cheaper energy, cleaner skies, and good paying green-collar jobs said Keith Hay, Energy Advocate at Environment Colorado. Colorado's sunshine is a new goldmine. Solar power plants can keep Colorado's energy economy growing while cutting the state's global warming pollution.

Joining the briefing were Senator Gail Schwartz (D-Snowmass Village) and Representative Judy Solano (D-Brighton), both of whom sponsored legislation this year directing the Colorado Public Utilities Commission to consider the economic and environmental benefits of solar power plants when making resource decisions about where and how we get our electricity.

While investment in solar power plants has been stimulated by state initiatives to reduce global warming pollution, the report argues that reaching science based goals will require federal action. On the Rise highlights several policies that would increase the development of solar power plants in the United States, including: Enacting a national Renewable Electricity Standard Enacting a cap on global warming pollution Expanding and extending tax credits for investment in renewable energy Providing transmission access for central-station solar power

Nationally, we have the resources to meet new energy demand with solar power plants. The question is not one of resources, but of creating the markets and putting in place the policies that will get those resources to market, stated Holly Gordon, Vice-President of Regulatory and Legislative Affairs for Ausra Inc.

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Concentrating solar power plants are finally having their day in the sun. Right now over 4,500 MW of concentrating solar power plants have signed power purchase agreements and, if the Federal investment tax credit is extended by Congress, they will be built said, Scott Frier, COO of Abengoa Solar. This technology has been producing reliable power for more than 20 years in the U.S. Because these plants can meet our future energy needs with pollution free, dispatchable power, we are seeing more and more utilities making the smart decision to purchase their output for their present and future energy needs.

As part of the state's Climate Action Plan, utilities agreed to voluntarily reduce global warming pollution by 20 percent by 2020. Reaching this goal will require a combination of energy efficiency and the use of central station solar power plants. For the first time, On the rise shows that replacing just half the state's current electricity demand with pollution free solar power would mean cutting global warming pollution by an amount equal to taking almost 2 million cars off the road.