Analysis of Renewable Energy Deployment in Colorado by 2030, Technical Report

摘要

Currently most utilities in the state of Colorado are subject to the 20% renewable portfolio standard (RPS) passed by voters in 2004 and expanded by the state legislature in 2007. However, because of bonuses and exemptions written into the law, the true required renewable energy penetration is only 12.3%. This makes this law less then adequate for addressing climate change. This study aims to assess the real renewable energy and carbon impacts of the current RPS and investigates the benefits of increasing the RPS to true 20% and 30% values. To this end a user input-driven predictive Excel model was developed to find the proper technology spread, electrical outputs, and carbon reduction for each RPS. It was found that while all the RPS variants are technically feasible based on available renewable resources, only the 30% RPS meets the carbon reductions that are thought necessary to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Based on the results of this report the current RPS does not offer an effective avenue to reduce fossil fuel and carbon reduction. Furthermore, if the goal of the current Colorado legislature and administration is carbon reduction, a 30% RPS is the most acceptable avenue.