THE CALIFORNICATION OF COLORADO CONTINUES APACE: Warning signs of failure for Colorado’s energy policy.

Now in his second term, Governor Jared Polis and the Colorado legislature are moving ahead with Polis’s “bold idea.” None of them will be in office when Coloradans feel the full impact.

Let’s start with cost. During the 2018 gubernatorial campaign, no one challenged Polis or Johnston about the cost of shutting down Colorado’s baseload coal and natural gas and replacing it with wind, solar, and batteries. But, the Independence Institute did in 2017, 2019, and 2023, which includes Polis’s wish list of electrifying home heating and transportation. The Institute’s analysis finds every Coloradan will pay over $115,000 (more than $460,00 for a family of four) for weather-dependent resources to power the state.

Remember, supporters of a 100 percent renewable-powered Colorado said it would save ratepayers money. Our current utility bills and analysis say otherwise.

With no fanfare, the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) issued a warning sign when it released its Ascend Analytics report earlier this year. The results are damning: The wind, solar, and battery-only scenario “requires the largest buildout of capacity at over 69,000 MW installed in 2040 and barely meets reliability targets.” With a $61 billion price tag, “it is also the most expensive scenario.”

Readers need to add billions of dollars more for the transmission lines Ascend failed to include, and it’s still a lowball price.

Ascend and the CEO’s suggested solution? “Clean hydrogen,” meaning hydrogen made from the same expensive wind and solar that is supposed to power our homes and businesses, which, at $51.6 billion, the CEO calls the “cheapest way to decarbonize.” According to the Independence Institute’s hydrogen issue brief, this figure doesn’t include infrastructure costs that could skyrocket to over $70,000 per natural gas customer. Building new wind, solar, and batteries isn’t cheaper (See Figure 1).

This forced march will bankrupt the state.

Yes, but all the correct palms will have been thoroughly greased and if the poors have to endure brownouts, that’s even better.