Project background
On behalf of the State of Colorado, the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) is working with contractors from S&C Electric and NORESCO to develop a Colorado Microgrid Roadmap Study. The contractors are working with an interagency team of representatives from CEO and the Department of Local Affairs’ Colorado Resiliency Office (CRO) to develop the roadmap. This roadmap will evaluate the role of microgrids in ensuring all Coloradans have access to reliable and resilient electrical service.
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 how 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 ; and,
- operate independently and disconnected from the larger grid when necessary to meet the electricity needs of communities, neighborhoods, or buildings.
Following robust stakeholder engagement efforts this winter and a public comment period on the Microgrid draft in summer 2024, the State will publish the final Microgrid Roadmap no later than January 1, 2025.
Stakeholder engagement and public comment
To inform this roadmap, the state will host a series of interactive meetings to gather ideas and feedback on grid resiliency and microgrids from a broad range of stakeholders. This includes state agency staff, utilities, disproportionately impacted communities, microgrid developers, labor organizations, and commercial and industrial utility customers. Find the virtual meeting schedule and registration links below: (all dates are for 2024)
- Jan. 10, 9:00 - 11:00 AM MT: Public Safety, Fire, Security, Emergency Response Services - Register
- Jan. 11, 9:00 - 11:00 AM MT: Southwest Colorado, South Central Colorado and the San Luis Valley - Register
- Jan. 16, 9:00 - 11:00 AM MT: Front Range and the Denver Metro Area - Register
- Jan. 18, 9:00 - 11:00 AM MT: Northwest Colorado - Register
- Jan. 30, 9:00 - 11:00 AM MT: Eastern Plains - Register
- Feb. 1, 2:00 - 4:00 PM MT: Microgrid Developers and Trade Organizations - Register
- Feb. 6, 9:00 - 11:00 AM MT: Investor Owned Utilities (Xcel, Black Hills) and Customers - Register
- Feb. 14, 2:00 - 4:00 PM MT: Public Utilities Commission and Utilities Consumer Advocates - Register
Note: See below under "Regional designations" to identify your region.
If you have further comments after the meetings or are not able to join one of the meetings, please submit your comments here.
In addition to these stakeholder meetings, the State will solicit public comment on an initial draft of the Microgrid Roadmap starting July 1, 2024.
Regional designations
Each region represents the following counties. Counties are listed alphabetically within each region.
- Eastern Plains: Baca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Elbert, Kiowa, Kit Carson, Lincoln, Logan, Morgan, Otero, Prowers, Pueblo, Sedgwick, Washington, Yuma
- Front Range: Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, El Paso, Jefferson, Larimer, Teller, Weld
- Northwest: Clear Creek, Eagle, Garfield, Gilpin, Grand, Jackson, Lake, Mesa, Moffat, Park, Pitkin, Rio Blanco, Routt, Summit
- Southwest: Alamosa, Archuleta, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Delta, Dolores, Fremont, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Huerfano, La Plata, Las Animas, Mineral, Montezuma, Montrose, Ouray, Phillips, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan, San Miguel
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 microgrids in Colorado. This includes:
- Defining the potential benefits of developing different types of microgrids with various technologies, including if and how microgrids will improve grid resilience and reliability in Colorado.
- Developing criteria to prioritize microgrid projects 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 microgrids
- metrics to evaluate the costs and benefits of microgrids
- financial and technical support needs
- education and outreach programs, including apprenticeship programs