Colorado Microgrid Roadmap
On behalf of the State of Colorado, the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is working with a qualified contractor to develop a Colorado Microgrid Roadmap Study. The contractor will work with an interagency team of representatives from CEO and the Department of Local Affairs’ Colorado Resiliency Office (CRO) to develop the electric microgrid roadmap. This roadmap will evaluate the role of microgrid systems in ensuring all Coloradans have access to reliable and resilient electrical service.
The State of Colorado is proud to release the Colorado Microgrid Roadmap draft materials, including the draft Microgrid Roadmap, Critical Facility Prioritization Guide, and Critical Facility Prioritization tool.
View Colorado Microgrid Roadmap Draft Materials
Watch Informational Webinar on Microgrid Roadmap Development
The State will publish the final Microgrid Roadmap no later than January 1, 2025.
Contact Information
john.m.parks@state.co.us
Project Background
Colorado has recently experienced an increasing number of climate-related extreme weather events, including wildfires, winter storms, and floods. State lawmakers recognize the potential impacts of these extreme weather events on the electric grid and passed legislation (HB22-1249) directing CEO and CRO to develop a Microgrid Roadmap providing guidance on microgrid benefits and how Colorado microgrids can:
- improve grid resilience and reliability for individual customers and communities
- deliver and manage electricity
- provide necessary infrastructure in locations where extending distribution infrastructure is not practical
- operate independently and disconnected from the larger grid when necessary to meet the electricity needs of communities, neighborhoods, or buildings
Stakeholder Engagement and Public Comment
To inform the creation of the roadmap, the state collected public comment and hosted a series of interactive meetings to gather ideas and feedback on grid resiliency and microgrid solutions from a broad range of stakeholders. This included state agency staff, utilities, disproportionately impacted communities, microgrid developers, labor organizations, and commercial and industrial utility customers. The stakeholder engagement and public comment period for the draft roadmap has closed.
What is a microgrid?
A microgrid is a small network of interconnected electricity components that can function independently from the utility grid when necessary, such as during an extreme weather event. Local electricity generation, battery storage, and generators feed power to the microgrid interconnection. The microgrid interconnection can then distribute power to and from the utility grid, as well as directly to local electricity consumers, such as commercial, industrial, and residential buildings and electric vehicles. Because the microgrid interconnection receives power from multiple sources, it is able to disconnect from the utility grid and continue delivering electricity to local electricity consumers during utility grid power outages. A microgrid controller oversees this process to ensure uninterrupted, reliable access to electricity.
Objectives
The goal of this project is to produce a Microgrid Roadmap that can help guide policy and the development of microgrid solutions. This includes:
- Defining the different types of microgrids and their benefits, including if and how electric microgrids will improve grid resilience and reliability in Colorado
- Developing criteria to prioritize microgrid systems in places that are at high risk of electric service disruptions due extreme weather or inadequate infrastructure
- Recommending legislative or administrative actions to facilitate projects, including:
- statutory or rule changes
- factors to consider for the safety, development, maintenance, and deployment of microgrid solutions
- metrics to evaluate microgrid costs and benefits
- financial and technical support needs
- education and outreach programs, including apprenticeship programs