As pure as the driven snow: how Aspen is leading America’s renewables charge

The skiing resort is especially exposed to climate change - so it decided to plot a different course on energy

High above the city of Aspen, Colorado, the waters of Maroon Creek run past wildflower-filled alpine meadows before flowing into a hydroelectric dam that is helping this famous ski resort to reach its goal of using 100 per cent renewable energy.

The picturesque town, known the world over as a winter playground for the rich and famous, reached its goal of using only renewables in 2015, becoming just the third city in America to have made the transition.

Cop28, the UN climate conference taking place in Dubai from November 30 to December 12, will have a major focus on the importance of renewable energy in the fight against climate change.

Aspen relies on snow for its winter business and has for decades sounded the alarm on climate change.

It committed to reaching 100 per cent renewable energy in 2004 but took more than 10 years to reach the lofty goal.

“When the city started to look at its climate goals and reducing carbon in the atmosphere, it looked to its electric utility and its contribution and it also looked back to say, 'What did we learn from the past that we can bring into the future?'” said Phil Overeynder, a utilities engineer for special projects at the city of Aspen.

While most urban areas have a long way to go to achieve what Aspen has, 180 cities have pledged to turn to 100 per cent renewable energy in the future, according to Environment America, a research and policy centre.

Maroon Creek and the power it provides have played an integral role in the history and development of Aspen, which attracts millions of tourists each year.

“[The] creek not only provides the eventual treated drinking water for the community, but is also a vital part of our hydro production,” said Justin Forman, director of utilities at the city of Aspen.

Maroon Creek has helped to provide electricity to the city of Aspen since the 1890s. Willy Lowry / The National

The dam has been in the same spot since the 1890s, when Aspen was a gold and silver-mining town.

“In the 1970s, we buried that wooden flume and then in the early '80s, we turned the wooden dam into a concrete structure, and we redid the head gate in 1985,” Mr Forman told The National.

Aspen, with its immense natural beauty and resources, has advantages that other cities across the country do not.

Its creeks, which wind down the towering Rocky Mountains, provide a significant amount of power, but not enough for the entire city of a little less than 7,000 people.

“I liken it to using what you have within the vicinity to the best of your ability possible,” Mr Forman said of the city’s strategy.

The city obtains about 46 per cent of its power from hydro, but it had to figure out a green alternative for the rest, looking a little farther afield for a viable additional energy source.

Inside the Maroon Creek power station in Aspen, Colorado. Willy Lowry / The National

“The rest comes from wind energy projects scattered as far as 800 miles [1,290km] away, across the northern Great Plains,” Mr Overeynder said.

“It's a grid-connected system that brings energy from a distance.”

The grid is made more resilient through the use of other energy sources.

“It's certainly something that other cities and towns could emulate,” Mr Overeynder said.

The city is connected to the Western Interconnection, a huge expanse of networks that powers much of North America.

A view of Bell Mountain from downtown Aspen. Willy Lowry / The National

“It's a series of wires and generators all connected and interconnected to bring electric power to customers all across the western US from Canada and into Mexico,” Mr Overeynder said.

Aspen wanted to show other towns and cities that they can go green without raising energy prices.

“You can make this transition if you do it with a long-term plan in mind,” Mr Overeynder said.

"You can make it in a way that doesn't raise prices and makes this utility reliable."