How Boulder Freed its Electric Company

[marmar]

from YES! Magazine:



How Boulder Freed its Electric Company
Running their own utility means sun and wind energy instead of coal.

by Valerie Schloredt
posted Mar 26, 2012


The city of Boulder, Colo., has won the right to take its power supply—and carbon emissions—away from corporate control. The change for Boulder came in November when voters passed two ballot measures that allow the city to begin the process of forming its own municipal power utility.

The city’s current electricity supplier, Xcel Energy, is a large corporation that sources more than 60 percent of its power from coal. Colorado climate activists tried for years to persuade Xcel to transition from coal to renewables, arguing that the state’s plains, mountains, and 300 days of annual sunshine give it abundant potential for the development of wind and solar power. But they found Xcel’s take-up of renewables was frustratingly slow. Xcel is investing $400 million in its coal-powered plants, and its plans for renewables stops at just 30 percent in 2020, with no further increase until 2028.

Boulder has long cherished the goal of becoming a leader in tackling climate change. In 2002, the city council passed the Kyoto Resolution on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In 2006, residents voted for the nation’s first city carbon tax to achieve those targets.

“Municipalization”—the legal process whereby the city would form its own utility company—has been on the table since 2004. When Xcel countered with the offer of an ambitious city-wide smart grid in 2008, Boulder accepted. But Xcel and its partners didn’t do a cost-benefit analysis prior to starting the project, and the portion of the costs consumers would pay rose from a projected $15.3 million to (at last count) $44.8 million. .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.yesmagazine.org/issues/9-strategies-to-end-corporate-rule/how-boulder-freed-its-electric-company

[xchrom]

1. Du rec. Nt

[Possumpoint]

2. From Previous Exposure

I have little confidence that government with the politics and bureaucracy involved, will handle the distribution, production from existing sources and conversion to renewable energy well.

I look forward to being proved wrong.

[zipplewrath]

3. Can be done

A town here did that, for different reasons, they frequency of power outages was becoming irritatingly high. We have a "municipal" utility, albeit structured very much like a company. But it is techically publicly run. Some of the cheapest rates around too. Bolder might be surprised how happy it will be owning its own utility.

[arthritisR_US]

4. Excellent! k&r

[DiverDave]

5. ALL public utilities used to be

publicly owned.
But the rethugs told the city/county gov. that it would be 'cheaper, better' blah blah blah
And they got a boatload of cash.
Well, they LIED.
Yes, take them back from the gougers.