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Consumer Group Tells PUC: Solar Instead of Coal
September 6, 2006
A heretofore unknown consumer group told the Colorado
Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to give incentives to
concentrating solar power instead of coal. The PUC was holding
hearings on August 18 dealing with the record high fuel prices that
consumers have paid during the last year for electricity.
Under PUC regulations, the state’s utilities pass
these fuel prices directly on to consumers. With solar plants, all
of the costs of generation are known in advance; fuel costs are
zero.
Alison Burchell, a geologist and spokesperson for
Ratepayers United of Colorado, testified that at the rates
Coloradans are now paying for electricity, we could just as well
build concentrating solar power plants as coal-fired plants. These
power plants use parabolic reflectors to concentrate sunlight to
generate steam instead of burning coal. Dan Friedlander told the PUC,
“Building solar infrastructure is the best use of our money now, and
the best legacy we can leave future generations.” For details about
the meeting, see the Ratepayers United of Colorado August 18 press
release:
http://www.ratepayersunited.org/2.html |
