FAST TRACK INNOVATION AT CHEROKEE STATION - PARTNERS TEST A DATA-SHARING PLATFORM AND LEARN A NEW STYLE OF PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

摘要

A power plant may be an unlikely sandbox to play in, but Xcel Energy last year made its 715 MW Cherokee Station in Denver a place for vendors to experiment with new technology having potentially larger implications for the utility's entire generating fleet. The invitation to experiment at Cherokee came as a result of Xcel Energy's Utility Innovations program, launched in 2004. The program's executive director is appointed by CEO Dick Kelly and serves for just a year in that capacity. The program's current director is Michael Lamb, who came from the distribution side of Xcel Energy. His predecessor, Corey Hessen, was a generation guy.