Renewable Energy
Renewable, non-emitting sources of energy are a growing part of our energy mix. These sources can provide cost-effective energy to our customers and help hedge against more volatile fuel prices. Our renewable energy portfolio includes wind, hydro power, waste to energy (refuse-derived fuel) and biomass.
Wind
Our involvement in wind power generation extends back to 1980. Today, with operations in Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, North Dakota and Texas, Xcel Energy is the nation's No. 1 wind power provider, with almost 3,000 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, according to the annual industry ranking report released April 2009 by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA). Xcel Energy remains the leader for the fourth year.
Our Windsource® program, available in Colorado, New Mexico and Minnesota, ranks number one in total number of customer participants (nearly 75,500) by the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in its annual ranking of leading utility green power programs (2006, 2007, 2008). Read more about our Wind Power.
Solar
Solar energy is a growing part of our renewable portfolio. We will purchase the power from an 8.2-megawatt central solar power plant located near Alamosa, Colorado and continue to explore new solar energy opportunities. We also offer rebates to Colorado customers for installing solar systems on their homes and businesses as part of our Solar*RewardsSM program.
Wind to Hydrogen Demonstration Project
We are partnering with the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on a unique project that uses electricity from wind turbines to produce and store pure hydrogen, offering what may become an important new template for future energy production. The project aims to overcome the intermittent aspect of wind energy by enabling energy storage for later use when the wind isn't blowing or the demand for electricity is high.
Wind Energy Storage
As the nation's number one wind power provider, Xcel Energy wants to harness renewable energy to the greatest extent possible. With that focus, we have launched a groundbreaking project to test cutting-edge technology for storing wind energy in batteries. Our project marks the first use of direct wind energy storage technology in the united States.
Energy storage is key to expanding the use of renewable energy, integrating variable wind and solar energy production to the needs of the power grid is an ongoing issue for the utility industry and will become even more important as the penetration of both of these renewable resources increases. The technology we're testing has the potential to reduce the impact caused by the variability and limited predictability of wind and solar generation.
Xcel Energy is testing emerging technologies and energy storage devices as part of our overall Smart Grid strategy, which aims to modernize and upgrade the grid to allow for easier integration of renewable energy sources. For more information, read more about the Wind-to-Battery project.
More Resources
Learn more about the Sodium Sulfur Battery Energy Storage Report.
Hydro
Hydroelectric power was an original fuel source for our company and several of our hydro facilities have reached 90 to 100 years of operation. Our 28 hydroelectric plants, located in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado account for more than 500 megawatts of generating capacity--enough electricity to serve half a million typical homes.
Biomass
We have filed an application for a Certificate of Authority with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) to install biomass gasification technology at out Bay Front Power plant in Ashland, Wisconsin. For more information, read more about the Bayfront Biomass Gasification Project. Visit our Biomass web page to learn more about biomass and waste-to-energy initiatives.
Two biomass generators, brought on line at the end of 2006 in northern Minnesota, are fueled by forest harvest residue such as treetops and limbs. A third facility, brought on line in 2007 in western Minnesota, generates power using turkey litter.
Additional Resources
For more information about renewable energy, visit the following resource: