Former Governor Bill Ritter will be our guest on February 22, 2024. He is a former governor of Colorado (2007-2011) and one of the leading proponents of Renewable Energy in the United States. He is the director of the Colorado State Center for a New Energy Economy and has been active in the Western Governors Association (WGA) for many years. His administration is known for many unique things including his dedication to a "Just energy transition" for everyone regardless of income to receive renewable energy.

Colorado – which like Hawaii- is an energy island – not connected to any external Transmission grid) and highly dependent on tourism. Governor Ritter in 2007 set an ambitious Climate Action Plan to reduce Colorado's 2005 emissions by 20% by 2020. We asked him what he learned from this experience and what he thinks the future holds.

Among his points is that as society transitions from fossil fuel-based energy, it is the role of government to help people adapt from an employment as well as a socially just point of view.

Colorado in 2014 was the tenth coal-producing state in the US, with 11% of its energy coming from natural gas – today 37% of its energy comes from coal. This raises the question of what will the electrical grid energy mix in Colorado be in 2030.

For electricity, Colorado is now at 37% renewable energy. Wind power provides 75% of that, solar provides 17%, and hydro provides 8%. Colorado has huge potential for large-scale solar on the New Mexico border, so there is likely to be more wind and solar because the cost of solar energy has been going continuously down. The final 20% of what the Governor calls the “tail:” will be a mix. Under discussion are geothermal energy, small-scale nuclear power, and biomass.

Governor Ritter is an expert on how states and municipalities can access federal funding for new projects through the Inflation Reduction Act.