The $30 billion Minneapolis-based utility has already shut down a quarter of its coal power plants.
Xcel Energy (XEL)recently announced an ambitious plan to deliver zero-carbon electricity by 2050, making it the first large American power company to set that challenging goal.
Xcel, which delivers power to 3.6 million customers in eight Western and Midwestern states, has already slashed its carbon emissions by 38% from 2005 levels. And it has pledged to get to 80% by 2030.
To do it, Xcel is rapidly expanding its vast renewable energy portfolio, which is expected to make up more than half its power by 2024. The company plans to build 12 new wind farms across seven states.
Xcel is rapidly moving away from coal, which supplied 46% of its power of 2013. The utility has been approved by local authorities to retire 23 coal units between 2005 and 2027 — or about half its capacity….
An excerpt from CNN