MAY 31, 2019
Clean Energy Has Questions to Answer
By
Todd Royal
Xcel Energy out of Colorado is shutting down two coal-fired generating power plants in favor of the largest solar-plus storage project in the United States. This $2.5-billion "
scheme" allowed only 11 companies to bid on the project out of 400 applicants. Pueblo County, Colorado originally had reservations over losing tax revenue from the former coal-fired power plants. Xcel
wants zero emission electricity by 2050 without saying publicly how that will happen.
California billionaire coal-fired power plant investor turned environmentalist Tom Steyer
assisted Xcel's decision to move toward taxpayer-subsidized renewable energy, which is the backbone of the clean energy economy. Colorado officials
never questioned Mr. Steyer's intentions or asked if solar and wind farms can replace reliable, abundant,
affordable, scalable, and flexible coal-fired generating capacity. Currently, renewables only make energy and electricity
more expensive for rate-payers.
Maersk, the world's largest container shipping company, announced that it would cut CO2 emissions to zero by 2050, according to its CEO, Soren Toft. Mr. Toft
reiterated, "This goal would require coming up with emissions-free engine technologies by 2030 and we will have to abandon fossil fuels."