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Colorado Renewable Energy Society
Strategic Plan, Mission, and Vision July
2006 The vision of the Colorado
Renewable Energy Society (CRES) is that Colorado’s energy will
derive primarily from sustainable, renewable energy resources.
The CRES mission is to advance
policies that lead to a sustainable energy future for Colorado and
heighten awareness of the benefits of renewable energy and energy
efficiency.
CRES
Objectives
The Colorado Renewable Energy Society supports policies that lead to
the further development and adoption of energy efficiency and
renewable energy technologies to where they can supply 20% of
Colorado’s energy needs by 2015, 50% by 2030, and 100% by 2050.
In support of the policy part of its mission, CRES
will advocate for Colorado to:
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Establish net metering for small,
distributed renewable energy systems statewide.
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Create a systems benefit charge to
create a way to finance renewable energy and energy efficiency
installations and technology development.
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Enact a tax credit for Colorado
homeowners and businesses who install solar power and water heating
systems.
In support of the awareness part of
its mission, CRES will:
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Develop an information clearinghouse
and speakers bureau to communicate with Coloradans about the
benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy and the need to
transform to an efficient renewable economy.
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Form alliances with a growing number
of like-minded organizations.
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Expand CRES membership.
Rationale
Why does CRES believe adoption of a renewable energy and energy
efficiency path benefits the state’s citizens and businesses? For
starters, we should be taking better economic advantage of
Colorado’s extensive solar and wind resources and intellectual
assets. Renewable energy and energy efficiency:
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Protect consumers from price
volatility and runaway fossil fuel prices in the short term.
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Generate more local jobs and spending
inside Colorado than fossil technologies.
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Preserve our natural environment, air
quality, and limited water supplies.
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Provide greater energy security over
the long term.
Most important of all is the health
of the planet itself is in jeopardy from global climate change due
to emissions of greenhouse bases from burning fossil fuels. A
majority now agree that energy efficiency and renewable energy are a
big part of the solution. CRES believes we should start a transition
toward a renewable energy economy now in order to minimize
environmental and economic disruptions that could result from
waiting too long.
How Do We Get There From
Here?
Colorado voters passed a milestone in 2004 when they approved
Amendment 37 establishing a renewable energy standard for the
state’s investor owned utilities. Nevertheless, the leadership for a
renewable future is just beginning to coalesce in Colorado, and
there are opposing trends. For example, there is proposal from the
coal industry to construct three large coal-fired generating
stations that will lock Coloradans and their children into decades
of air pollution, water depletion, carbon dioxide emissions, and
potentially stranded investments.
Instead, CRES will pressure electric utilities to
increase their commitments to conservation, seek to establish
natural gas conservation programs, and place renewable energy and
energy efficiency in the forefront of the state’s energy policy.
Specifically, Colorado should
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Formulate rate structures through
the Colorado Public Utilities Commission that ensure that energy
efficiency and renewable energy are profitable for utilities.
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Emulate the experience of
neighboring states that have used renewable energy construction
projects as economic development tools.
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Learn from and adopt energy
efficiency programs that have been successful in other western
states.
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Encourage energy independence
through distributed generation at homes and businesses.
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Conceive financing mechanisms to
build new transmission capacity for our region’s sizeable wind
energy resources.
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