Fort Collins power provider commits to cut all carbon emissions by 2030

Platte River Power Authority has committed to a goal of no carbon emissions by 2030, outpacing a high-profile target announced by Xcel Energy this week and setting the stage for a substantial decrease in Northern Colorado greenhouse gas emissions.

Platte River, the power provider for Fort Collins, Loveland, Estes Park and Longmont, set the goal at its Thursday board meeting after more than a year of resident-led campaigning from all four communities. The goal hinges on nine necessities related to technology and infrastructure, including the advancement of battery storage and a revamped electric grid.

Platte River board members approved the electricity goal Tuesday as part of the utility's newly minted resource diversification policy. Tasked with choosing between the 100 percent by 2030 goal and a vaguer pledge to “continue to diversify Platte River Power Authority’s resource mix to meet its owner communities’ energy goals," the board voted unanimously to eliminate all carbon emissions by 2030.

More:Fort Collins will aim for 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030

Board member and Loveland Mayor Jacki Marsh likened the move to "putting a line in the sand."

"I can say that I want to lose 20 pounds, and I may or may not get there," she told the Coloradoan in advance of the meeting. "But if I say I'm going to do it by Dec. 31, 2019, I've set a mark, and I believe I'll work harder to do it."

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Achieving the no-carbon goal is a tall order, but making it work is critical given the implications of human-induced climate change, said Kevin Cross, convener of the Fort Collins Sustainability Group.

The Fort Collins group and several others, including Estes Valley Clean Energy Coalition, Renewables Now Loveland and Sustainable Resilient Longmont, joined last year to form a coalition called Northern Colorado Partners for Clean Energy. 

The group successfully pushed Fort Collins, Estes Park and Longmont to adopt goals of 100 percent renewable electricity by 2030. Loveland's city council hasn't adopted a renewable electricity goal but voted this week to endorse Platte River's plans.

Community goals aren't binding, but they matter for Platte River because the municipalities themselves own the power provider, Cross said. He added that he doesn't think Platte River's goal would exist if not for prolonged petitioning from residents.

"This is a good illustration of the adage that ‘change comes from below,'" Cross said.

PRPA's "if, then" approach reflects concerns expressed by board members, Fort Collins City Council and attendees of Platte River's recent series of community meetings. 

Platte River held the meetings this fall to ask each owner-community what they envision for the future of electricity. The power provider will wrap those insights into its next Integrated Resource Plan, which is like a road map for Platte River's future electricity generation.

"That's the special part about Platte River and being public power — we really should reflect our community's values," Platte River chief strategy officer Alyssa Clemsen Roberts told the Coloradoan in an October interview. 

The Platte River board's decision comes amid a crescendo of concern about climate change, catalyzed by devastating natural disasters and two recent reports profiling the present and future catastrophic impacts of climate change.

In Colorado, climate scientists say climate change will continue to diminish the snowpack that provides the state with water and exacerbate droughts, floods and wildfires. 

More:'This is the weather and climate we fear': Climate change and Colorado's ski slopes

Platte River's goal comes on the heels of a 100 percent noncarbon pledge by Xcel Energy, which announced this week that it plans to meet that benchmark for its 3.6 million customers by 2050. That announcement surpasses the goals outlined in Xcel's  Colorado Clean Energy plan, which vowed to cut greenhouse gas emissions by almost 60 percent and produce 55 percent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2026.

The plan drew national attention when Xcel released it this fall. 

Platte River's service area includes about 342,000 people. Platte River and Xcel together account for about one-third of Colorado's population, including Platte River's owner-communities as well as the cities of Denver, Pueblo, Boulder and Aspen.

How will PRPA achieve its goal? 

Platte River staff and board members emphasized that nine things have to happen in the near future for the utility to meet the goal:

• An organized regional market must exist with Platte River as an active participant
• Battery storage performance must mature, and the costs must decline
• Utilization of storage solutions to include thermal, heat, water and end-user available storage
• Transmission and distribution infrastructure investment must be increased
• Transmission and distribution delivery systems must be more fully integrated
• Improved distributed generation resource performance
• Technology and capabilities of grid management systems must advance and improve
• Advanced capabilities and use of active end user management systems
• Generation, transmission and distribution rate structures must facilitate systems integration

This story has a correction. Platte River Power Authority set a 2030 goal of having zero carbon emissions, which may not entail a 100 percent renewable energy portfolio.