MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The 2008 Democratic and Republican national conventions will be
powered with clean, renewable wind and solar energy, Xcel Energy
announced today. This is also the first time the same electric utility
will serve both conventions in separate cities in the same year.
Xcel Energy, the nation's No. 1 wind power provider according to
an American Wind Energy Association ranking, will provide enough wind
power through its Windsource program to offset the estimated 3,000
megawatt-hours that the conventions will use. With approximately
70,000 residential and commercial customers in Colorado, Minnesota and
New Mexico, Windsource is the nation's largest voluntary wind energy
program, according to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory ranking.
"We are pleased to provide clean, renewable power to the
conventions because we want to display for the nation's elected
leaders and delegates what a 21st Century utility can look like," said
Dick Kelly, chairman, president and CEO of Xcel Energy. "In addition
to renewable energy, we offer customers incentives for energy
conservation and we're reducing emissions from our facilities. We're
moving forward to make a real difference."
The Windsource power for the national conventions primarily will
come from Xcel Energy's Ponnequin Wind Facility near the
Colorado-Wyoming border and from a wind farm on southwestern
Minnesota's Buffalo Ridge. Additional power will come from a
10-kilowatt solar installation at The Pepsi Center in Denver, and from
a 10-kilowatt solar installation at the High Bridge Generating Station
in St. Paul, Minn. The Denver solar installation is part of Xcel
Energy's Solar*Rewards program, which provides incentives for
customers to install solar panels on their home or business.
"Energy policy is an issue that both political parties should
discuss at their conventions and beyond," Kelly said. "We are ahead of
the curve in our policies and actions because we are dedicated to
reducing our impact on the environment and providing the leadership to
make a difference in the communities we serve."
Renewable portfolio standards in Minnesota and Colorado are some
of the nation's most aggressive, and Xcel Energy is on track to meet
both. By 2020, Minnesota requires 30 percent of the company's
electricity supply to come from renewable sources, up from 14 percent
currently, and Colorado's standard is 20 percent by 2020, up from 10
percent. Last fall, Xcel Energy filed aggressive resource plans in
Minnesota and Colorado, proposing to increase its use of clean
generating resources and decrease its reliance on fossil fuels.
Xcel Energy (NYSE: XEL) is a major U.S. electricity and natural
gas company with regulated operations in eight Western and Midwestern
states. Xcel Energy provides a comprehensive portfolio of
energy-related products and services to 3.3 million electricity
customers and 1.8 million natural gas customers through its regulated
operating companies. Company headquarters are located in Minneapolis.
Source: Xcel Energy
Contact: Xcel Energy
Media Relations, 612-215-5300