Environmental Leader

Both the national Democratic and Republican Conventions will receive enough wind power from Xcel Energy’s Windsource program to offset the estimated 3,000 megawatt-hours the events will use, Xcel announced.

Additional power will come from a 10-kwh solar installation at The Pepsi Center in Denver, and from a 10-kwh solar installation at the High Bridge Generating Station in St. Paul, Minn, according to the company.

The Wind power for the national conventions primarily will come from Xcel Energy’s Ponnequin Wind Facility near the Colorado-Wyoming border and from a wind farm on southwestern Minnesota’s Buffalo Ridge.

The Conventions are becoming increasingly environmentally friendly. Molson said in May that it would donate thousands of gallons of E85 to fuel the General Motors flex-fuel vehicles that will provide the transportation needs for the Denver 2008 Democratic Convention. And, through a partnership with Native Energy, Democratic Convention delegates offsetting their carbon emissions will be recognized on the Convention floor.