MICHELLE SWANSON FROM XCEL ENERGY: POWERING OUR ENERGY FUTURE Xcel Energy’s Upper Midwest 2016-2030 Resource Plan was presented by Michelle Swanson, who oversees community relations and economic development from the company’s Minneapolis office. That plan details Xcel Energy’s proposed transition away from coal-based generation and toward a goal to provide 63 percent of its energy generation from carbon-free resources – at a cost that’s affordable, according to Michelle. By 2030, about 35 percent of the electricity that Xcel provides to customers would come from wind or solar resources. Meanwhile, the percentage of electricity generated from coal would drop from 34 percent to 15 percent of the total. The share of electricity generated from nuclear energy would stay about the same, 27 percent compared to 28 percent, and the share of electricity generated from natural gas would increase from 15 percent to 22 percent. |