Aspen wants all renewable power
City officials describe it as a way to leverage the cityÂ’s electrical supply to 100 percent renewable sources.
Currently, Aspen Electric operates on about 75 percent renewable sources.
However, the increased costs will not be fully shared. The new rates will be incremental, so that consumers who use more kilowatt hours monthly will pay more.
A consultant, Todd Cristiano, told the Aspen City Council that itÂ’s possible some customers will see a decrease in their rates.
Aspen already buys a great deal of wind-generated electricity from outside sources, and in the 1990s invested in retrofit of a nearby dam, at Ruedi Reservoir, to give it hydroelectric capacity.
It is also refurbishing hydroelectric plants on two local creeks to deliver electricity. Other sources of heat and energy, including ground-source heat pumps and geothermal energy, are also being explored.
Related News
Electric cars will challenge state power grids
WASHINGTON - When Seattle City Light unveiled five new electric vehicle charging stations last month in an industrial neighborhood south of downtown, the electric utility wasn't just offering a new spot for drivers to fuel up. It also was creating a way for the service to figure out how much more power it might need as electric vehicles catch on.
Seattle aims to have nearly a third of its residents driving electric vehicles by 2030. Washington state is No. 3 in the nation in per capita adoption of plug-in cars, behind California and Hawaii. But as Washington and other states urge…
