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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 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 1,323 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, according to the annual industry ranking report released April 11, 2006 by the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA).
Our Windsource® program, available in Colorado, New Mexico and Minnesota, ranks number one in total number of customer participants (nearly 50,000) 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).
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.
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.
Waste to Energy (Refuse derived fuel)
We have three power plants -- two in Minnesota and one in Wisconsin -- that produce about 67 megawatts of electricity from a fuel derived from municipal solid waste or garbage. Our waste-to-energy plants prove that a combination of ingenuity and technical advances can offer innovative solutions for today’s waste disposal problem. Built as coal-fired generating facilities, these plants were converted in the mid 1980s to burn refuse-derived fuel (RDF). The processed waste provides a low-cost fuel and reduces the amount of material going to landfills. Our Wisconsin waste-to-energy plant burns wood waste in combination with RDF.
Biomass
We have contracts for about 110 megawatts of electricity from biomass, or organic fuel sources.
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.
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