Xcel seeks increase in renewable-energy fee
COLORADO - Xcel Energy has asked regulators to increase the amount it can charge consumers to help recover the cost of renewable-energy generation.
The utility is seeking to raise the "Renewable Energy Standard Adjustment," a fee added to electric bills, to 2 percent of what consumers would pay for conventional energy, the maximum allowed under Colorado law. The current standard adjustment is 1.46 percent.
If approved, the increase would take effect January 1 and increase typical residential bills by 33 cents a month. Typical small-business bills would increase by 52 cents a month.
Colorado voters passed a measure in 2004 that required some utilities to generate 10 percent of their power through renewable sources such as wind and solar. The state Legislature later raised the requirement to 20 percent by 2020.
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Washington County planning officials develop proposed recommendations for solar farms
WASHINGTON - Incentives for establishing solar farms at industrial spaces instead of on prime farmland are among the ideas the Washington County Planning Commission is recommending for the county to update its policies regarding solar farms.
Potential incentives would include tax breaks on solar equipment and requiring developers to put power-grid connections and line extensions underground, Planning Commission members said during a Monday meeting.
The tax break could make it more attractive for a developer to put a solar farm on a roof or over a parking lot, which could cost more than putting it on farmland, said Commission member Dave Kline,…
