Colorado Renewable Electricity Is Skyrocketing. Mandates Helped.

CPR News reports that renewable electricity production in Colorado has more than doubled over the last decade, according to a report from CoPIRG and Environment Colorado. Solar, wind, and geothermal produced the equivalent of 44% of the power consumed in Colorado in 2025, up from 19% in 2016. CPR also notes the obvious buried right there in the story: Colorado lawmakers mandated utilities cut greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050.

The Bullet Point Brief

• Renewable production “skyrocketed.” Of course it did. It was mandated. Amazing how government coercion can really move a graph.
• The report comes from CoPIRG and Environment Colorado, so nobody should pretend this floated down from Mount Neutrality on a cloud of pure journalism.
• Solar grew eightfold since 2016, while wind remains the biggest renewable electricity source in the state. Fine. Say that. Just do not sell mandates as some spontaneous miracle of market poetry.
• CPR mentions cheaper renewable costs and state mandates, but the whole thing still reads like a campaign brochure that accidentally wandered into a newsroom.
• The real question for Colorado families is not whether politicians can force an energy transition. They can. The question is reliability, affordability, land use, grid stability, and who pays when the mandated future gets expensive.

My Bottom Line

For the love of God and all that is holy, of course renewable electricity has skyrocketed. It has been mandated.

This is the kind of piece only Colorado Public Radio could deliver with a straight face: “Look at this amazing trend,” while casually stepping over the giant state mandate lying in the hallway. That is not journalism. That is narrative delivery with a tote bag.

Colorado’s energy policy has been driven by politicians, activists, regulators, mandates, subsidies, and pressure campaigns. So when renewable production rises, the honest headline is not “Wow, what a surprise.” It is “State gets more of what state required.” Funny how that works.

And the report comes from CoPIRG, because naturally it does. The Democrat-activist-journalist loop remains undefeated: advocacy group produces report, friendly outlet amplifies report, politicians cite report, suburban normies nod along while paying the bill.

Renewables have a place. Technology improves. Markets change. Good. But stop pretending this is all organic progress and not a government-designed outcome. Colorado deserves honest energy journalism, not a puff piece with solar panels and a halo.

Source: CPR News