While campaigning for his first term in office, Gov. Jared Polis said he wanted to see 100% of the power on Colorado’s electric grid come from renewable energy sources by 2040. Lawmakers have approved bills furthering that vision by setting targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the goal being 100% reduction from 2005 levels by 2050.
Coal plants across Colorado have been shut down with all of them expected to close by the end of 2030. Rules by the city of Denver and the state are aimed at eventually making buildings all electric. Colorado has a goal of getting nearly 1 million electric vehicles on the roads by 2030 and recently moved ahead of California for the nation’s top spot in market share of electric vehicles sold in the state.
But does Colorado have the juice to keep up the pace on the road to a clean-energy future? Can the state shutter several power plants and still meet the everyday demands of keeping the lights, heat…
