Naturally competitive in major cleantech markets

Solar against Rocky MountainsCleantech companies rely on Colorado's abundant natural resources including powerful and consistent wind and sun. In addition, the state is a national pioneer in advancing technologies to modernize and transform the electrical-grid system through Xcel Energy's SmartGridCity project in Boulder and FortZed zero-energy district in Fort Collins.

Colorado's cleantech industry has five distinct focus areas for job growth and company expansion:

  • Wind - Targets include wind-components manufacturing (turbines, nacelles, towers, and components), wind research and development, and developers of wind farms. Colorado is located in the nation's wind tunnel and ranked No. 12 in the United States (2010) with installed wind capacity of 1,299 megawatts.
  • Solar - Key areas include photovoltaic (PV) systems, concentrating solar power, passive solar technology, materials manufacturing, and solar leasing. Colorado has more than 300 days of sunshine annually and is ranked No. 4 in the United States (2010) for installed solar capacity of 62 megawatts.
  • Smart Grid - Major focuses include online tools, smart-metering technologies, smart-grid research and development, and clean-energy deployment. Colorado is a leader in combining energy and information technologies to provide consumers real-time information on energy use to reduce consumption.
  • Transportation - Top areas include biofuels development (algae, cellulosic, and non-corn-based ethanol), biomass processing, efficient battery development and manufacturing, and hybrid-vehicle technology.
  • Natural Gas - Focuses include electricity generation, transportation, and refining. Considered the bridge fuel, Colorado is the No. 5 natural-gas producer in the United States, with 1,389 billion cubic feet produced (2009).

The Colorado Energy Coalition (CEC), an affiliate of the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation (Metro Denver EDC), publishes an annual study measuring Colorado's competitive position in the wind, solar, coal, natural gas, and oil industries. The third edition of Resource Rich Colorado compares Colorado to the 49 other states based on the presence of natural resources for energy generation.

The Governor's Energy Office (GEO) released the Strategic Transmission and Renewables (STAR) report - A Vision of Colorado's Electric Power Sector to the Year 2050 January 10, 2011. The STAR report is the fourth installment in a series of reports released by the GEO to prepare Colorado for a changing electric power landscape.