WHEREAS cost competitive renewable energy technologies and applications are emerging in the marketplace, and
WHEREAS the National Renewable Energy Laboratory found that Colorado is in the top 12 for wind potential, top five for solar and geothermal, and has strong biomass and geoexchange potential (There are no other states that rank as high in all categories.), and
WHEREAS there are many potential benefits to be realized through the development of our renewable energy resources, including:
- Diversification of our energy supply contributes to overall marketplace stability and helps shield consumers from price volatility,
- Development of domestic energy resources and distributed generation systems enhances our national security,
- Development of renewable energy resources may provide economic development opportunities for western Colorado
- Development of wind, solar and hydro does not require the consumption of precious Western Slope water resources, and
WHEREAS there are also challenges to such development that must be addressed, including:
- The ability of such resources to consistently provide a cost-competitive power supply is currently limited to wind energy,
- Transmission capability for such energy must be developed and, in many cases, poses a significant hurdle,
- The development of renewable energy sources, as with the development of traditional energy sources, can create adverse economic and environmental impacts such as noise and viewshed pollution,
- Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind do not provide a continuous flow of energy and must be supplemented with dependable traditional energy sources, and
WHEREAS renewable energy technologies are generously subsidized at the federal level to encourage their continued development.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that CLUB 20:
- Supports the development of Colorado’s renewable energy resources (including solar, wind, geo-exchange, coal bed and coal mine methane, hydro, and biomass opportunities) in an environmentally-sensitive manner, and
- Encourages the State to invite private industry to explore the feasibility of renewable energy in any alternative energy surveys, and
- Supports legislation to improve the economic viability of these renewable energy resources while allowing market forces to determine their deployment, along with traditional energy resources.
Adopted 3/7/2003
Amended 9/10/2010
Amended 3/27/2015
Renewed 3/30/2018