Denver as an electricity consumer is nested within Xcel Energy and the broader Colorado electric system. Denver’s renewable vision is to enable a rapid and equitable transition to a 100% renewable electric system in Colorado. By 2030, 100% of Denver’s community-wide electricity use will contribute to this vision.
The above vision and 2030 goal for Denver’s electricity use to “contribute to” a 100% renewable electricity system is unique compared to goals to be “powered by” 100% renewable electricity. This is due to accounting protocols for Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). RECs measure renewable energy production and are “retired” to meet renewable energy goals.
Denver’s renewable electricity metrics adopt a holistic view of the electric system and Denver’s place in it. They include:
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System Renewables: The RECs inherent in the electricity Xcel Energy delivers to all retail customers that are not created by, subscribed to, or sold to other customers.
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Distributed Solar: The RECs created by Denver customers with on-site solar arrays or subscriptions to community solar gardens that are transferred to Xcel Energy and retired towards system decarbonization.
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Utility-Scale RE Subscriptions: The RECs retired due to participation in Xcel Energy’s Renewable Connect and Windsource programs by Denver customers.
Denver’s approach to counting renewable electricity contributions measures progress towards system-wide decarbonization. It places investments in local clean energy infrastructure and community co-benefits at the forefront of Denver’s energy transition.
Achieving this ambitious objective will require a variety of partnerships including with Denver’s electricity service provider, community-organizations, members of the public, and interdepartmental coordination across City agencies.
System Renewable Electricity
Xcel Energy projects it will retire RECs for approximately 60% renewable energy by 2030. Exceeding this requires collaboration with Xcel Energy and regulatory engagement.
Current: 20.7%
Goal: 60-80% by 2030
Distributed Solar in Denver
Denver has significant untapped distributed energy potential that can be increased by strengthening building codes, supporting CSG and rooftop solar programs, and regulatory engagement.
Current: 1.2%
Goal: 30-40% by 2030
Utility-Scale Subscriptions
Community engagement and education can help to increase subscriptions to Xcel Energy’s utility-scale renewable electricity options. These include Windsource and Renewable Connect programs.
Current: 0.8%
Goal: 10-15% by 2030
Overall Progress
We are currently at 23% of our goal of having Denver’s community-wide electricity use contribute to a 100% renewable electric system in Colorado by 2030.
Our Goal
Denver made a commitment to using 100% renewable electricity for our facilities and operations by 2025 (Denver Public Health & Environment, 2018).
Where We Are
In 2021, 47% of Denver’s electricity use was supplied by carbon-free, renewable electricity sources.
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Total Building Portfolio1
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Non-General Fund Buildings
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Renewable Electricity Supplies
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1 This analysis does not include the airport, zoo, museum, or streetlights.
2 GWh = Gigawatt-hour
How We Got There
Denver’s renewable electricity comes from a variety of sources:
Grid-Supplied Renewable Electricity
Xcel Energy supplies electricity to its customers through the grid. The electricity comes from a mixture of renewable and non-renewable energy sources. As the grid gets greener (also known as grid decarbonization), Denver gets closer to achieving its goals. In 2021, 38.2% of electricity supplied by the grid came from renewable energy sources. Xcel Energy certifies this percentage through the Certified Renewable Percentage program.
- Denver does its part to help decarbonize the grid by subscribing to community solar gardens and on-site solar projects through power purchase agreements. Denver’s participation helps decarbonize the grid for all Xcel Energy customers, in exchange for an incentive payment from Xcel Energy.
Additional Renewable Electricity Supplies
Xcel Energy offers additional renewable electricity programs that allow their customers, including Denver, to directly benefit their own goals, rather than general grid decarbonization. These programs include Renewable*Connect®, Net Metering, and Windsource®. Denver has strategically participated in these additional renewable electricity programs when the programs are available and make financial sense:
- Renewable*Connect: Approximately 9% of Denver’s electricity use was covered through subscriptions to Renewable*Connect.
- Net Metering: Denver owns a 30-kilowatt (kW) solar array on top of the Castro building and a small solar array on top of the City Park restroom building. On-site solar has otherwise not been a significant strategy towards achieving Denver’s goal due to operational and maintenance requirements.
- Windsource: Denver has not utilized the Windsource program to date since this program represents an ongoing price premium that does not make financial sense for Denver facilities at this time.
Denver’s participation in these programs, combined with the Certified Renewable Percentage from Xcel Energy, achieved 47% renewable electricity supplies across all buildings in 2021. Denver’s renewable electricity supplies are shown in detail in the following graphs, with the General Fund Buildings and non-General Fund Buildings shown separately.
General Fund
- In 2021, Denver’s General Fund Buildings used 64.6 GWh of electricity, and 51% came from renewable electricity sources
- In 2021, the electric grid provided 38.2% of Denver’s renewable electricity, which Denver supports through renewable electricity subscriptions and power purchase agreements
- Of this total, Denver subscribed to 7.4 GWh of renewable electricity through solar gardens and power purchase agreements that helped decarbonize the grid and contributed 11% renewable electricity to General Fund Buildings
- In 2021, Denver’s subscription to Renewable*Connect provided 13% renewable electricity to General Fund Buildings
Non General Fund
- In 2021, Denver’s Non-General Fund Buildings used 33.2 GWh of electricity, and 39% came from renewable electricity sources
- In 2021, the electric grid provided 38.2% of Denver’s renewable electricity, which Denver supports through renewable electricity subscriptions and power purchase agreements
- Of this total, Denver subscribed to 2.5 GWh of renewable electricity through solar gardens and power purchase agreements that helped decarbonize the grid and contributed 7% renewable electricity to Non-General Fund Buildings
- In 2021, Denver’s subscription to Renewable*Connect provided 0.7% renewable electricity to Non-General Fund Buildings
- In 2021, Denver’s rooftop solar arrays generated 0.1% renewable electricity for Non-General Fund Buildings
- In 2021, all of Denver’s buildings used 97.8 GWh of electricity, and 47% came from renewable electricity sources
- In 2021, the electric grid provided 38% of Denver’s renewable electricity, which Denver supports through renewable electricity subscriptions and power purchase agreements
- Of this total, Denver subscribed to 9.9 GWh of renewable electricity through solar gardens and power purchase agreements that helped decarbonize the grid and contributed 10% renewable electricity to all of Denver’s buildings
- In 2021, Denver’s subscription to Renewable*Connect provided 9% renewable electricity to all of Denver’s buildings
- In 2021, Denver’s rooftop solar arrays generated 0.04% renewable electricity for all of Denver’s buildings
Where Does Denver’s Renewable Electricity Actually Come From?
Projects that contribute to Xcel Energy’s source fuel mix through Certified Renewable Percentage include those summarized in the following table and shown in the following map (Xcel Energy, 2021):
Certified Renewable Percentage Table
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Project Size (Megawatts, MW)
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Bronco Plains Wind Project
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Mountain Breeze Wind Project
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Colorado Green Wind Project
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250 – solar, 125 – storage
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Thunder Wolf Solar Project
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200 – solar, 100 – storage
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Cheyenne Ridge Wind Project
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Lincoln, Kit Carson, and Cheyenne counties
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Front Range-Midway Solar Project
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100 – solar, 50 - storage
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Sun Mountain Solar Project
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All community solar gardens through the Solar*Rewards Community program
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All on-site solar projects through the Solar*Rewards program
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Certified Renewable Percentage Map
Renewable electricity projects that contribute to voluntary, additional renewable electricity programs include:
- Renewable*Connect: The renewable electricity comes from a 50 MW solar project near Deer Trail, CO.
- Windsource: The renewable electricity comes from Xcel Energy’s wind resources in Colorado, which total more than 2,400 MW (Xcel Energy, 2022).
- Net Metering: The renewable electricity comes from all on-site solar projects in Xcel Energy’s territory that participate in the Net Metering program.
References
Denver Public Health & Environment. (2018). Denver 80x50 Climate Action Plan. Retrieved Mar 2019, from
Denver 80x50 Climate Action Plan
Xcel Energy. (2021, Feb). Colorado Energy Plan Portfolio. Retrieved Jan 20, 2021, from
Colorado Energy Plan Portfolio
Xcel Energy. (2022, Sep). Windsource Product Label CO. Retrieved Jan 20, 2021, from Wind Energy:
Windsource 2020 and 2021 Prospective Product Content Label
Other Information
Labels and percentages
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Non-General Fund Buildings
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Grid-Supplied Renewable (other Certified Renewable Percentage sources)
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Grid-Supplied Renewable (Certified Renewable Percentage from Denver subscriptions and projects*)
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Renewable*Connect Subscription
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Rooftop Solar (Denver owns Renewable Electricity Credits)
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Grid-Supplied Non-Renewable Electricity
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