(From an Article in the Denver Business Journal, Aug. 21, 2008)
Xcel Energy Inc. said Thursday it’s installed 82 miles of fiber-optic cables and the first of 13,000 new electricity meters in Boulder as part of its $100 million SmartGridCity pilot project in Boulder.
The equipment can respond to a power outage by automatically isolating the incident and rerouting power so fewer customers are left in the dark. The trailer also has a web portal that allows customers to pre-set their furnace, air conditioning and lights to save energy. “SmartGridCity is a prime example of how in Colorado we are using new technologies to build the New Energy Economy,” Gov. Ritter said in a statement. “This project is a great example of a public and private partnership between the state, the city of Boulder, Xcel Energy and its partners.” Xcel said the utility and its SmartGridCity technology partners are making significant progress in Boulder. The first so-called “smart” meters have been installed, and are working with two-way communication between the customer and Xcel through the fiber-optic cables.
By the end of 2008, Xcel expects to have more than 13,000 homes with smart meters. By next summer, another 10,000 meters will be available for installation at the customer’s request.
In addition, Xcel said two substations in Boulder have been upgraded with smart technology, which can automatically detect, isolate, and restore electricity load when an outage occurs. This information allows Xcel to cut the impact of outages by predicting them, and thus preventing outages, and technology to reduce their duration.
Showing posts with label CO. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CO. Show all posts
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Denver Home Price Rise Tops 20-City List
(From an Article in the Denver Business Journal, Aug. 26, 2008)
Denver home prices show the strongest rebound of the 20 markets studied, according to the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. The report said home prices rose in June from a month earlier in nine cities. Denver had the biggest gain, at 1.5 percent, followed by Boston at 1.2 percent.
A separate report, by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, showed more positive news for the Denver market. Home prices in the Denver-Aurora area are up 0.38 percent in the past year. The report relies on home sales and refinancing of mortgages for its data. Home prices in Boulder were up 2.47 percent in value from a year ago, and 0.25 percent higher in the second quarter. For Colorado as a whole, prices rose by 1.82 percent in the past year and by 0.32 percent in the second quarter.
Denver home prices show the strongest rebound of the 20 markets studied, according to the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Indices. The report said home prices rose in June from a month earlier in nine cities. Denver had the biggest gain, at 1.5 percent, followed by Boston at 1.2 percent.
A separate report, by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, showed more positive news for the Denver market. Home prices in the Denver-Aurora area are up 0.38 percent in the past year. The report relies on home sales and refinancing of mortgages for its data. Home prices in Boulder were up 2.47 percent in value from a year ago, and 0.25 percent higher in the second quarter. For Colorado as a whole, prices rose by 1.82 percent in the past year and by 0.32 percent in the second quarter.
Passco Buys Land in Louisville
(From an Article in the Denver Business Journal, Sept. 3, 2008) A California company has purchased a 20-acre site within the Colorado Technology Center in Louisville for $3.8 million and plans to construct a series of office buildings there. The site includes two approved planned unit developments, or PUDs. Passco Companies Development LLC said it expects to break ground this fall on the first phase of development, an 84,000-square-foot building called One Technology Center. The company will have space available for lease from 20,000 to 84,000 square feet. Phase two will be Two Technology Center, a 104,000-square-foot building. The third phase will be two 40,000-square-foot multi-tenant office or flex properties.
Denver Water Considers Higher Rates
(From an Article in the Denver Business Journal, Sept. 2, 2008) Water’s board will decide Sept. 24 whether to raise water bills by $19 to $33 a year for residential customers, depending on if they live in the city or the suburbs. The agency needs to raise an extra $18.5 million in 2009 to cover rising costs for maintaining and improving its water system.
Other projects in 2009 include the replacement and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure, Hayman Fire watershed recovery work, potential enlargement of Gross Reservoir and expanding conservation education, rebates and incentive programs, the utility said.
Increasing water rates will close that gap, the utility said, since it doesn’t receive any tax dollars.
Under the current proposal for 2009, reviewed by the Denver Water board, Denver residential customers would see their bills increase by about $19.14 a year, on average. Suburban residential customers served by Denver Water would see an increase of $33.12 per year, on average. The effects of the proposed changes on customer bills would vary depending upon the amount of water the customer uses and whether the customer lives in Denver or is served by a suburban distributor under contract with Denver Water.
The utility is also looking at ways to revise its rate structure for 2010 designed to encourage water conservation. Public comment on the 2009 water rate increase and the 2010 rate structure is being taken.
Other projects in 2009 include the replacement and rehabilitation of aging infrastructure, Hayman Fire watershed recovery work, potential enlargement of Gross Reservoir and expanding conservation education, rebates and incentive programs, the utility said.
Increasing water rates will close that gap, the utility said, since it doesn’t receive any tax dollars.
Under the current proposal for 2009, reviewed by the Denver Water board, Denver residential customers would see their bills increase by about $19.14 a year, on average. Suburban residential customers served by Denver Water would see an increase of $33.12 per year, on average. The effects of the proposed changes on customer bills would vary depending upon the amount of water the customer uses and whether the customer lives in Denver or is served by a suburban distributor under contract with Denver Water.
The utility is also looking at ways to revise its rate structure for 2010 designed to encourage water conservation. Public comment on the 2009 water rate increase and the 2010 rate structure is being taken.
Forest City Breaks Ground on 184 acre Park
(From an Article in the Denver Business Journal, Sept. 3, 2008)
Developer Forest City Science + Technology Group broke ground on the 184-acre Colorado Science and Technology Park in Aurora Wednesday. The new park will house an incubator for emerging businesses, a hotel and conference center and a 175,000-foot-foot office building for University Physicians Inc. The Fitzsimons Federal Credit Union also will break ground on the site. During the groundbreaking, Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer unveiled a study that showed that development in the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center — which includes the Anschutz Medical Campus, The Children’s Hospital and Research Center and a planned veterans hospital — will generate up to $4.5 billion in “annual economic impact” by 2013. Forest City Science + Technology Group is a division of Forest City Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: FCEA, FCEB), a real estate development company based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Developer Forest City Science + Technology Group broke ground on the 184-acre Colorado Science and Technology Park in Aurora Wednesday. The new park will house an incubator for emerging businesses, a hotel and conference center and a 175,000-foot-foot office building for University Physicians Inc. The Fitzsimons Federal Credit Union also will break ground on the site. During the groundbreaking, Aurora Mayor Ed Tauer unveiled a study that showed that development in the former Fitzsimons Army Medical Center — which includes the Anschutz Medical Campus, The Children’s Hospital and Research Center and a planned veterans hospital — will generate up to $4.5 billion in “annual economic impact” by 2013. Forest City Science + Technology Group is a division of Forest City Enterprises Inc. (NYSE: FCEA, FCEB), a real estate development company based in Cleveland, Ohio.
Ascendant, Cobalt Plan Spec Building
(From an Article in the Denver Business Journal, Sept. 4, 2008)
Ascendant Development and Cobalt Industrial REIT II will break ground this month on a 100,000-square-foot speculative light industrial building in the Denver Business Center. The building site is 6.10 acres. Privately held Ascendant Development is based in Denver. The company specializes in buying and developing business parks, plus build-to-suit and speculative office and industrial buildings in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Dallas-based Cobalt Capital Partners, a private equity firm that buys, manages and develops light industrial properties, manages Cobalt Industrial REIT II and its predecessor, Cobalt Industrial REIT I. Together, the REITs own more than 23 million square feet of space in 15 markets.
Ascendant Development and Cobalt Industrial REIT II will break ground this month on a 100,000-square-foot speculative light industrial building in the Denver Business Center. The building site is 6.10 acres. Privately held Ascendant Development is based in Denver. The company specializes in buying and developing business parks, plus build-to-suit and speculative office and industrial buildings in the Rocky Mountain Region.
Dallas-based Cobalt Capital Partners, a private equity firm that buys, manages and develops light industrial properties, manages Cobalt Industrial REIT II and its predecessor, Cobalt Industrial REIT I. Together, the REITs own more than 23 million square feet of space in 15 markets.
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