Response to Xcel CEO Dick Kelly

• Eric Johnson
• Denver Post

It took only five sentences of reading to realize that Xcel Energy CEO Richard Kelly is more interested in the corporate bottom line than addressing climate change. Kelly wrote: "Any program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions must focus on the deployment of the new, cleaner technologies that are emerging today." The problem is that such a program fails to prioritize the best buys for the consumer. Proven technologies that reduce emissions at net profit to the ratepayer have been around for years, but have yet to be widely deployed. Take compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), which have been around for more than 20 years. The up-front investment is very low, and CFLs can cut lighting bills in half. Why would Xcel deprioritize an option that can be quickly and cost-effectively deployed? Consider what reduced electricity demand means for Xcel's ability to justify new, expensive infrastructure, and you've got the answer. Kelly does mention "conservation" (efficiency is a better word) further down the page. But it's clear that Xcel's highest priority is profiting from unproven new coal plants and expensive nuclear energy, rather than reducing ratepayer bills or deploying cost-effective renewables such as concentrated solar electrical generation. Eric Johnson, Boulder