Dive Brief:

• Xcel Energy, operating as Public Service Co. of Colorado, has proposed a suite of new energy projects that could double the state's solar portfolio over the next three years, investigates residential storage and contemplates more than 1,000 MW of of additional renewable resources down the line.
• The company last week announced its “Our Energy Future” plan, which it said will help push Colorado to greater economic development and innovation.
• The Denver Post reports that Xcel's plans include more than 400 MW of solar to be added over the next three years, and claims that the utility will meet or beat the state's 30% renewable standard by 2030.
• "Closely associated with all of the initiatives," Xcel said, is a focus on meeting the requirements of the Obama administration's Clean Power Plan.

Dive Insight:

Xcel's push to incorporate more renewable energy into its power mix across its eight-state service territory has stretched over into Colorado with a proposal to build more solar projects and contemplate energy storage. 

Xcel says its the first of its kind for the utility — a proposal that will tie together "key innovative technology, economic development and customer initiatives," allowing for greater development in the state and enhanced reliability and customer satisfaction.

“Our customers have asked for more choices, and we’re delivering just that," David Eves, president of Public Service Co. of Colorado, said in a statement. The plan "paves the way for an interactive, intelligent and efficient grid that will be even more reliable than today, and better prepared to meet the needs of future generations."

Key components will include a pair of clean tech pilot programs that will address electric battery efficiency and reliability, with the company noting "in the future, customers may use a home battery to store energy for when they need it most."

The utility said it is also focusing on "alignment of the company’s pricing, in a more fair and equitable manner for Colorado customers," in the second phase of its electric rate case in front of the Colorado Public Utilities Commission. And it introduced a community solar program, Solar*Connect, allowing customers to go totally solar, while adding an incremental 50 MW solar farm to its existing 170 MW of solar.

And Xcel said it wants to take advantage of low gas prices by locking in supply, while also considering up to 1,000 MW of more renewables. Xcel also said it would present an "intelligent grid proposal" later this year, which will focus on interactive meter technology.

The Denver Post reports not everyone is impressed with the filing, however. "Xcel's view of the energy future is not the only one that Coloradans should consider," Rebecca Cantwell, executive director of the Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association, told the newspaper, explaining the utility is seeking in another case to cut the rate it pays to solar customers.

"The public really needs to have a say here," Cantwell said.

The Denver posts said how the utility reaches its target depends on a host of factors, including how providers and customers respond.