Xcel rides with the wind.

• Author: Best, Allen
• Position: ENERGY

T. Boone Pickens seems to be on the television all the time anymore, talking about wind power. Pickens, who in 2004 swiftboated John Kerry's presidential hopes, has essentially taken a page from the environmental movement, redefining renewable energy as a patriotic pursuit.

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Similarly bold has been Xcel Energy's embrace of wind. The company in 2004 famously opposed Amendment 34, which mandated a minimum 10 percent renewable portfolio standard. Company spokesman Mark Stutz insists Xcel was misunderstood. "We weren't opposed to renewable energy. We were opposed to a poorly written amendment," he says. The Legislature, he adds, subsequently smoothed the glitches.

Since then Xcel has become a national example for what is possible. It now expects to meet a portfolio standard of 20 percent (later instituted by the Legislature) several years prior to the 2020 deadline. Engineers for Xcel, according to Stutz, now believe they can integrate wind, solar and other renewables to make 25 percent to even 30 percent of total electrical production.

The landscape is changing rapidly. Many see opportunities. A public/private...