Driving twisting, snow-covered county roads made me tense, but the whitened landscapes blanketed by snows filled me with joy…
Author: Allen Best
Allen Best publishes the e-journal Big Pivots, which chronicles the energy transition in Colorado and beyond.
A Tale of Colorado’s Biggest and Smallest Coal Mines
Two mines named Elk both increased production in 2022. But long term? By the simple numbers, the outlook does not favor their prospects…
BIG PIVOTS: The Perfect Recipe for Decarbonizing Colorado? Part Two
Schonhaut contends the profits of Xcel should be shaved by about a percentage point. That would save Colorado consumers more than $100 million a year…
BIG PIVOTS: The Perfect Recipe for Decarbonizing Colorado? Part One
“We simply must end our reliance on costly fossil fuels and improve energy security…”
BIG PIVOTS: Emission-Free Electricity?
The new iron-air batteries will be able to use chemical processes to store electricity and then discharge it for up to 100 hours…
Mountain Parks Electric Gives Notice
Mountain Parks Electric has served notice that it intends to leave Tri-State Generation and Transmission by January 16, 2025. “The board looked at a number of factors and made the determination that now would be the time to give notice of our intent to exit,” said Mark Johnston, the general manager of the Granby-based electrical READ MORE
BIG PIVOTS: Reimagining Colorado’s Highways
The pot wasn’t deep enough to produce overpasses such as the one between Pagosa Springs and Durango…
BIG PIVOTS: Less Water, More Food? Part Four
Holsinger says the federal land was likely deteriorated by improper livestock grazing, particularly prior to adoption of the Taylor Grazing Act in 1934…
BIG PIVOTS: Less Water, More Food? Part Three
Healthy soil is full of organisms necessary for growing plants. Wiggling worms demonstrate fecund soil, but most networking occurs on the microscopic level…
BIG PIVOTS: Less Water, More Food? Part Two
Taking the long, big picture view, Colorado spent most of its first 100 to 150 years as a state developing its water resources…
BIG PIVOTS: Less Water, More Food? Part One
Thirty days after sprouting, trays of green and red lettuce, kale, arugula, and mustard greens slide from the greenhouse to be shorn, weighed and sealed in plastic clamshell packages…
OPINION: Renewables Moving Forward in Colorado… But Not in Wyoming
A federal law has slowed our shift to renewables. What will it take to reform it?
BIG PIVOTS: Electric Vehicles at 9.6% of Auto Sales in Colorado
The website points out that going electric can save owners 40% in ongoing maintenance costs and 75% in fuel costs…
BIG PIVOTS: Is Tri-State Changing Fast Enough to Survive?
Tri-State delivers power to 42 electrical cooperatives in four states, including 17 in Colorado…
Big Batteries Come to Colorado
Lithium-ion battery storage in Colorado is about to get very big. What other pieces of the emissions-free electrical jigsaw puzzle are needed?
OPINION: Dirty Linen in Colorado’s Geographic Drawer?
The Colorado Geographic Naming Advisory Board this week heard testimony about the role of John Evans, then the territorial governor, in the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864…
BIG PIVOTS: A Hydrogen Economy?
The US Technology Hub is to develop green hydrogen and other innovations and technologies, with a focus on decarbonizing hard-to-abate industries…
BIG PIVOTS: What Boebert and Frisch Did Not Say During the Club 20 Debate
I heard fear, grievance and anger — and not just a few clichés. Where was there talk about opportunities in this energy transition?