Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in Colorado’s Electric Sector by 2040

NCRES
Pathways to Deep Decarbonization in Colorado’s Electric Sector by 2040

We’ll be joined by Keith Hay of the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), who will discuss the CEO’s work on achieving Colorado’s goal of having 100% renewable electricity generation by 2040. The CEO worked with Ascend Analytics to assess the lowest-cost pathways to achieve 100% zero-emission electricity generation by 2040. The analysis found that generating electricity through wind, solar, battery storage, geothermal, and clean hydrogen will be the most cost-effective approach to reach that goal. Keith will go through the study results in 2030 and 2040 via the different portfolios modeled with their relative costs, generation mixes, and renewable energy levels achieved.

ABOUT OUR SPEAKER:

Keith Hay has worked at the Colorado Energy Office (“CEO”) since 2019 and currently serves as the Senior Director of Policy. In his current role, Keith manages the Policy unit, including directing research related to the office’s energy and climate policy development, overseeing CEO’s regulatory staff and providing strategic direction for CEO’s interventions at the Public Utilities Commission and the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission (“AQCC”), and directing developing legislative policy development, managing staff that assists local communities in developing building decarbonization. Prior to joining the Colorado Energy Office, Keith served as an Advisor at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission.

The program was hosted by Peter Eberle, CRES Chair and NCRES Program Manager.

A question-and-answer session followed the presentation.

TIMELINE:

0:00 Welcome and announcements - Peter Eberle
2:47 Presentation - Keith Hay
37:30 Q&A

This program was organized by the Northern Colorado chapter of the Colorado Renewable Energy Society and was recorded at their April 10, 2025, meeting. Contact us at [email protected] or visit us online at https://www.cres-energy.org/.

CREDITS:

Video production by Brian Beinlich, https://brianbeinlich.com.
Intro/outro photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Energy.
Intro/outro music: “Summer of 1984” by RKVC via the YouTube Audio library.

ABOUT CRES:

For more than 25 years, the Colorado Renewable Energy Society (CRES) and its local chapters have provided education, policy advocacy, and community engagement to accelerate Colorado toward a 100% renewable energy future. CRES is a statewide, non-partisan, non-profit, 501(c)3 membership organization that drives environmental, social, and economic benefits for our communities by promoting all forms of renewable energy, energy efficiency, storage, high-performance buildings, and other low- or zero-carbon solutions.

CRES features several local monthly speaker series throughout the state, provides speakers, experts, and workshops, and weighs in on state energy policy.

Learn more about CRES, membership, and how you can sign up to become a speaker or volunteer by visiting our website at https://cres-energy.org.