While Colorado requires its investor-owned utilities to source 30 percent of its electricity from renewables by 2020, the large state has a lot of smaller municipal and electric co-ops that—at least till now—have only had to source 10 percent of their power from renewables by 2020. Now that Colorado Senate Bill 252 recently passed its second reading in the state Senate, that may be slated to change.

The would increase the amount of renewable energy, like solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, that co-op would have to keep in their generation portfolio to 25 percent by 2020. Under the legislation, “The standard is effectively raised for large co-ops like Tri-State Generation & Transmission (which supplies most of the state's co-ops) and the large co-ops like Intermountain Rural Electric,” said Colorado Renewable Energy Society CEO Lorrie McAllister.

“The investor owned utilities were starting from 20 percent and increased to 30 percent by 2020 in 2010. The rural electric cooperatives are starting from 10 percent and have until 2020 (7 years) to reach the 25 percent standard,” McAllister said. “They have a relatively greater distance to go in a shorter timeframe. It is definitely achievable, but we didn't want to create a hardship for the co-ops."

The bill is supported by at least some of the Senators who represent regions with co-op utilities. “Senator Gail Schwartz, one of the bill's main sponsors, serves Chaffee, Delta, Eagle, Gunnison, Hinsdale, Lake and Pitkin counties, all of which are served by rural electric co-ops,” McAllister said.

While investor-owned utilities provide power for most of the market in Colorado—Xcel Energy is the state’s largest utility, the co-op and municipal utilities service a wide swath of the state. If passed by the House and Senate, the legislation would help ensure that the state’s momentum toward cleaner energy continues. And that even as Xcel Energy and Black Hills Energy (the state’s two investor-owned utilities) meet their renewable portfolio requirements, that the jobs created in the renewable energy sector are kept.