The Colorado Harvesting Energy Network (CHEN) is a statewide non-profit membership organization that promotes community-based renewable energy development to ensure that economic benefits of the New Energy Economy flow to Colorado residents. While exciting renewable energy resources are being developed throughout Colorado, we seek to ensure that landowners and communities who host these projects will benefit from them. We also seek to link urban consumers seeking home grown power with rural producers of distributed power generation Follow this link to read more about our goals and objectives.

Building the Colorado Harvesting Energy Network
CHEN is incorporating as an independent trade organization that will represent landowners, businesses and individuals in a statewide network dedicated to advancing local ownership of renewable energy projects. As a free-standing organization, CHEN will be able to advocate for policies that promote distributed generation and to promote community-based projects that contribute to community economic development. We plan to develop tools to assess projects and guide their development, and will work with state agencies to provide technical assistance to rural entrepreneurs and project champions seeking to produce home grown power.

San Luis Valley Solar
A group of irrigators in the San Luis Valley installed solar systems to drive their pivot irrigation systems, believing they were contributing the Colorado's New Energy Economy. But they are being paid less for the power than the cost of producing it. CHEN is working to secure equitable compensation for these irrigators. We are involved with Xcel Energy and the Public Utilities Commission to find a solution to this issue.

Community Wind Technical Assistance
With support from the Governor's Energy Office, CHEN is advancing community wind through workshops, a handbook for landowners, and formation of the Colorado Wind Working Group (WWG). Beginning in February 2009, the WWG will coordinate promotiom of community wind through technical assistance and public policy support. CHEN sponsored two workshops on community wind development for landowners in eastern Colorado in May 2008. Based on information presented there, CHEN published a handbook to guide landowners through the basic steps of project development.

Monitoring Transmission Extensions
CHEN is participating in SB100 transmission planning meetings as a stakeholder representing rural interests. In a statement before the Public Utilities Commission, CHEN advocated for a low-voltage collection network within energy resource zones and equitable methods for compensating landowners hosting new transmission lines.

Renewable Energy Standard Implementation
The Public Utilities Commission is revising rules implementing the standard which requires a portion of energy to come from renewable sources CHEN is seeking rules that will better define "local ownership" and provide market access to community-based energy development.

Staff support for CHEN is provided by Colorado Working Landscapes and the Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.