A safe, affordable, and reliable energy supply and climate change resilience are deeply important to our state, jobs, and the environment. As the Trump Administration denies climate change and undermines key protections, Colorado must lean in even more and continue to lead the shift to a clean energy future. 

To do this, Colorado must lead with innovation and collaboration to mitigate the impacts of this transition, including addressing the impact of job losses on affected communities, ensuring a resilient electric grid, and keeping affordability front of mind. Without facing these issues head on, we put our economy, health, and future at risk. We must drive the energy transition swiftly and responsibly to clean, cheaper energy sources—like wind, solar, geothermal, and other clean energy technologies as they develop. And we must mitigate the impacts of this transition as we go. As governor, I will pursue reliable, affordable, safe, and clean energy solutions—through innovation, a commitment to energy reliability, protecting jobs and affordability for Coloradans, and a commitment to data, science, and responsible decision-making.

Greening the Grid Through Solar and Wind 

In Colorado, we see sunny days more than two-thirds of the year. Colorado is also considered the 11th windiest state in the nation. These features of our state—coupled with our open landscapes, commitment to the environment, and innovation mindset—position Colorado to be a national leader in solar and wind. 

Renewable energy sources in Colorado, thanks primarily to wind and solar, have more than tripled since 2010. And while in 2024 90% of the new energy production added across the United States came from renewable sources, we still have a ways to go—and the Trump Administration continues to push us hard in the wrong direction.  

To protect Colorado and ensure that we have abundant and affordable energy from clean energy sources, we must do more. As governor, I will push to accelerate development of solar and wind projects across Colorado. City and county land use governments play a significant role in siting solar and wind projects as well as the building and siting of transmission lines needed to connect solar and wind projects to the grid. Without relying on top-down mandates, I will push and support moving these efforts forward by engaging local governments and their communities to develop balanced paths to promote the timely, affordable, and beneficial growth of solar and wind energy, recognizing that these are currently the lowest cost sources of energy for our state.

Peak Power Focus and Batteries

To ensure our grid has the resilience to support the needs of all Coloradans, especially at peak times, we must focus on development of smart grid protections with particular attention to expanding safe energy storage.

Expanding safe energy storage is key to managing peak electricity demand and addressing the intermittency of renewables like wind and solar. Battery technology lets home and business owners store excess energy and use it when demand and, therefore, prices are high; the grid is under stress; or power goes out. For utilities, batteries balance demand, defer expensive upgrades, and reduce overall system costs. I am committed to accelerating safe battery adoption for households and businesses by promoting innovative financing tools such as on-bill utility financing, encouraging utilities to broaden battery use cases, and sharing value with customers. I will prioritize low-income programs and target battery deployment support in high-need areas, such as communities at risk of wildfires or facing grid constraints.

As governor, I will also take innovative approaches to protecting peak needs such as the Mountain Peak Power plant model, which was designed to enable nimble power generation using a peaking natural gas unit adjacent to its battery storage. The Mountain Peak Power plant unit was also designed with fuel versatility to enable it to use hydrogen fuels if and when such fuels become commercially viable. We must support this kind of multifaceted, forward looking thinking. 

Geothermal Energy as a New Frontier 

Geothermal, which covers many different technologies, represents a new frontier in reliable, dispatchable “always on” energy. The Polis Administration has rightfully leaned in to advance this technology. Whether considering the more proven geothermal for heating and cooling or the more nascent geothermal to generate energy, this type of energy must be promoted. As governor, I will further Colorado’s leadership in geothermal energy through establishing a Geothermal Development Authority to coordinate and support activities across the state and partner with local governments and private entities, streamline permitting, identify workforce opportunities, and facilitate further funding. 

Geoexchange is most commonly known for individual residential heating and cooling. To further promote this use, I will work with the Public Utilities Commission and utility providers to create a dedicated rate class for residential heat pump (geoexchange) uses, with lower winter rates. And geoexchange can be used well beyond individual homes. For example, Colorado Mesa University installed a campus scale geoexchange system to great success, and is an example to be emulated across the state. While retrofitting existing neighborhoods can be challenging, creative thinking can enable it for homes, schools, and businesses and we will identify  opportunities to do just that.

Geothermal is not only an effective, renewable energy source, it also represents a great opportunity for a just transition across rural Colorado as we increasingly move away from traditional fuels. As governor, I will promote and expand opportunities for rural oil and gas workers to receive training opportunities in geothermal drilling to promote and support both deep and shallow geothermal expansion.

Electrification to Enable Long Term Progress 

To enable our energy use to continue to be less carbon-intensive as our energy grid pulls from more renewable sources, we must focus on electrifying our homes, businesses, and transportation. As governor, I will look for and support innovative opportunities to make this happen.  

As governor, I will ensure that all options that make economic sense are on the table, including continuing the state’s EV purchase incentives as well as new programs to promote installation of charging infrastructure in new builds. I will always continue to fight in court for Colorado’s share of federal EV infrastructure dollars. Click here for more of my thoughts on transportation more broadly. And we will develop opportunities to:

• Create a state-wide low-interest financing product with on-bill tracking and that avoids reliance on traditional credit scores to help homeowners—particularly in at-risk lower income communities—shift to cleaner electric technologies; and
• Deliver rebates directly to contractors to reduce upfront cost burdens on homeowners for electrification projects. 

Allocating Cost and Risk Associated with New Large Energy Loads

Energy intensive industries which are experiencing high growth, such as data centers, will require innovative, thoughtful policies to enable Colorado to responsibly manage and plan for our energy needs and protect access to affordable energy—and to protect consumers from cost spikes. These industrial opportunities are important for the state, and should be promoted when and where we can do so responsibly. To ensure that this development can proceed in a responsible manner, I will take a couple of approaches.  

First, I will look at requiring public reporting of tariffs and contracts with utilities, energy usage, and water usage for all uses above a large load threshold. This effort could also include implementing appropriate protective measures like upfront deposits, long-term commitments from developers, direct cost recovery for infrastructure, demand/load flexibility, and enforceable requirements to protect ratepayers from stranded asset risks. 

Second, we must look for opportunities to evaluate how new users can sponsor new forms of clean energy options to support increasing demand, ensuring that such development proceeds in a win-win fashion. One promising such option is expedited approval processes for large load users that bring new clean power development to the table as part of their project and commit to flexibility in power usage. This means projects that support their power needs through proposed, new, onsite wind, solar, geothermal, or other clean energy offsetting their energy needs go to the front of the line. And I will look to learn from other states and regions to make sure that Colorado is implementing innovative approaches along these lines in the most effective fashion.

Innovating for the Future

Energy development is not a static field. Work is being done on a wide range of potentially green energy sources and mitigation efforts all the time. I will promote and expand financing vehicles and opportunities, like the Collective Clean Energy Fund, to support green energy projects and energy efficiency efforts by Colorado residents and businesses in support of our renewable energy targets. 

Colorado is already a green energy technology hub. And we will continue to lean into our commitment to cleaner energy. Whether that is considering carbon capture and storage technologies, developing hydrogen sources, or considering other promising options, we will ensure that Colorado continues to drive innovation and be a leader for clean energy.