Colorado regulators slammed Xcel Energy for providing “totally useless” grid data, effectively accusing the utility of weaponizing spreadsheets to block renewables. (Energy Storage News)
The obstruction: To build solar or battery projects, developers need a “hosting capacity map” to see where the grid has room. Xcel, however, reportedly released heavily redacted spreadsheets locked behind an NDA so restrictive the PUC called it “commercially unreasonable.”
The fix: Regulators ordered Xcel to immediately release unredacted, granular maps and implement “flexible interconnection,” a system that lets projects connect faster if they agree to dial back output during moments of grid congestion.
The vibe in the hearing was icy: Commissioners expressed “deep distrust” of Xcel, noting the utility has a financial incentive to delay these third-party projects—which compete with its own capital investments.