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Xcel looks to fine-tune Minnesota solar rebate
(Photo by Mike Carter via Creative Commons) The sun is setting on Xcel Energy’s current solar rebate program in Minnesota. The utility reported this month that less than $1 million remains unspoken for...
View ArticleMinnesota renewable fund to be revived under new rules
The Minnesota Legislature is poised to change the workings of a state renewable energy fund that critics say has been misused in recent years. The House is expected to vote this week on a bill that...
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Will Minneapolis follow Boulder in challenging Xcel?
Boulder residents protest an Xcel Energy coal plant in July, 2011. (Photo by Zane Selvans via Creative Commons) Could Minneapolis be the next Boulder? In November, voters in Boulder, Colo., authorized...
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Non-renewable energy sectors face a hiring crunch
Running a nuclear power plant isn't exactly an entry-level job. (Photo via NRC) U.S. job growth remains sluggish, but many businesses in the energy sector are facing hiring difficulties. Aging workers...
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Looking to the future, Xcel betting on natural gas, hydro
As energy market forces continue to shift, Minnesota’s largest utility now foresees meeting modestly growing electricity needs primarily with natural gas and hydropower imported from Canada. Xcel...
View ArticleMinnesota regulators set deadline for Xcel coal study
Minnesota utility regulators have given Xcel Energy a July 2013 deadline for studying the cost of upgrading versus retiring its largest coal-fired power plant. Environmental groups have been calling...
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Minnesota tribe: Time to be realistic about nuclear waste storage
The Prairie Island nuclear plant in Minnesota. (Photo via NRC) Minnesota’s Prairie Island Indian Community says it’s time for nuclear regulators to get real about the likely amount and duration of...
View ArticleFERC dismisses complaint over CapX2020 ownership
Xcel Energy does not have to share ownership of a planned Twin Cities-to-La Crosse transmission line with a Wisconsin competitor, federal regulators ruled earlier this week. American Transmission...
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With more solar on the way, does Xcel need more gas peakers?
(Photo by Kate Ausburn via Creative Commons) As the population grows, the economy improves and the climate warms in its service territory, Xcel Energy projects rising demand for electricity on hot...
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Will Minneapolis’ next mayor seek a municipal energy utility?
(Photo by Matt Johnson via Creative Commons) A long-term contract that allows Xcel Energy to use public right-of-way in its corporate backyard is set to expire at the end of next year. Whether and...
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Minnesota’s largest coal unit to restart, despite concerns over pollution,...
The Sherco coal plant near Becker, Minnesota. (Photo via Minnesota Pollution Control Agency) ©2013 E&E Publishing, LLC Republished with permission By Daniel Cusick One of the Midwest’s largest...
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In Minnesota, Xcel proposes to split revenue from energy sales
(Photo by Grant Hutchinson via Creative Commons) Minnesota’s largest electric utility is asking state regulators to change the way it sets electricity rates so that it isn’t penalized when customers...
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Xcel, advocates at odds over Minnesota solar gardens rules
(Photo by Mike Baker via Creative Commons) As customers begin putting money down to join one of Minnesota’s first community solar gardens, new comments to state regulators reveal significant...
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City-utility partnerships seek better building energy data
(Photo by Laura Gilmore via Creative Commons) Starting in 2014, large commercial building owners in Minneapolis will be required to annually report data on their properties’ energy use to the city,...
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Minnesota closer to terms on community solar gardens
(Photo by Melissa via Creative Commons) Minnesota utility regulators on Thursday answered most but not all questions about the shape of a new community solar gardens program. The Minnesota Public...
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In bid against gas, Minnesota regulators say solar can proceed
This solar array near Slayton, Minnesota provides power for Xcel Energy. Geronimo Energy is proposing similar projects to help meet peak energy needs. (Photo by CERTs via Creative Commons) A proposed...
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Xcel CEO charts steady course to lower-carbon future
Xcel CEO Ben Fowke. (Image via YouTube) ©2014 E&E Publishing, LLC Republished with permission By Rod Kuckro Xcel Energy Inc. Chief Executive Officer Ben Fowke may have found the sweet spot as the...
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Q&A: A new vision for utilities
Ron Lehr is a former Colorado Public Utilities Commissioner and author of a chapter on new utility models in America’s Power Plan. Attorney, former regulator and activist Ron Lehr has been thinking...
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Minneapolis utility fight ends with unique clean-energy deal
An electrical substation near downtown Minneapolis. The prohibitive cost of acquiring electrical infrastructure was a key reason the city rejected an effort to form a municipal utility. (Photo by Eric...
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