Editor’s note: An earlier version of this article should have reported the Tuesday night work session begins at 6 p.m., not 6:30 p.m. The article below has been corrected.
The Nederland Board of Trustees is inviting the public to a work session on Tuesday night for a discussion on how the town can implement it’s commitment to switch to 100 percent renewable energy.
The discussion will include a presentation by three members of the Master’s of the Environment Capstone Project, part of the environmental master’s degree program at the University of Colorado.
Last August, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution to switch to 100 percent renewable energy, at the time making it the fourth Colorado municipality to do so behind Boulder, Pueblo and Aspen. As of August, 74 communities in the United States have pledged to switch to 100 percent renewable energy, according to a copy of a Powerpoint presentation provided to the Daily Camera.
That number increased from only five in 2015.
The town also has voiced support for the Paris Climate Agreement, which President Donald Trump pulled out of last year. Nederland is already seeing direct effects of climate change in the way of insect problems, drier winters, wetter springs and hotter and more destructive wildfires, so being out in front on renewable energy is vital to the town’s future, according to town officials.
Nederland has made some progress with regard to the switch to renewable energy. The town inked a deal in May to purchase all of the power for its municipal buildings from Weld County-based solar gardens expected to be operational in October. Boulder County and the Boulder Shelter for the Homeless also have bought shares in the solar garden.
Town officials want to have all of their municipal building power by renewable energy by 2020.
Nederland has, among other things, installed solar panels at its community center, switched to power-saving lights inside the building, upgraded a boiler, conducted energy audits for its water and wastewater treatment plants and worked with Boulder County begin upgrading street lights to be more efficient, according to the presentation.
Xcel Energy stated on its website that it is working with Nederland with regard to its future energy goals. The company has such “Energy Future Collaborations” agreements with Denver, Breckenridge and Alamosa.
The work session is scheduled at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the community center, 750 Colo. 72.
John Bear: 303-473-1355, bearj@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/johnbearwithme
