The Steamboat Pilot & Today

The two silver towers outside the Coors Brewing Co. facility in Golden turn some of the company's waste products, like beer and yeast, into almost 2.1 million gallons of commercial ethanol fuel each year.

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Rick Paine, a revenue manager with the Coors Brewing Co. in Golden, discusses his employer’s process for turning some of their waste products, such as beer and yeast, into almost 2.1 million gallons of commercial ethanol fuel each year.

Photo by Brian Ray /
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Rick Paine, a revenue manager with the Coors Brewing Co. in Golden, discusses his employer’s process for turning some of their waste products, such as beer and yeast, into almost 2.1 million gallons of commercial ethanol fuel each year.

Photo by Brian Ray /
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The ski patrol building on top of the Aspen Highlands ski area is powered by an array of photovoltaic solar cells placed along the edge of the balcony.

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The Science & Technology Facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden.

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Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden are working to improve photovoltaic cells that generate solar power, by creating an extremely thin layer of silicon particles that conduct electricity. Above, silicon particles are purified in a vacuum chamber at the Golden facility. Researchers apply heat and radio waves to adhere the silicon onto a thin layer of glass, creating a “thin-film” solar panel.

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Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden are working to improve photovoltaic cells that generate solar power, by creating an extremely thin layer of silicon particles that conduct electricity. Above, silicon particles are purified in a vacuum chamber at the Golden facility. Researchers apply heat and radio waves to adhere the silicon onto a thin layer of glass, creating a “thin-film” solar panel.

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Marc Landry, a solar power technician at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, explains the process for creating thin-film solar technology on July 20.

Marc Landry, a solar power technician at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, explains the process for creating thin-film solar technology in his lab July 20.

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Marc Landry, a solar power technician at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, explains the process for creating thin-film solar technology in his lab July 20.

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Chuck Kutscher, a principal research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, explains a process used to test and improve tubes used to collect and transfer the sun’s heat in a concentrated solar facility. The tubes run down the center of a parabolic trough of mirrors that reflect sunlight onto the tube.

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Chuck Kutscher, a principal research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, explains a process used to test and improve tubes used to collect and transfer the sun’s heat in a concentrated solar facility. The tubes run down the center of a parabolic trough of mirrors that reflect sunlight onto the tube.

Photo by Brian Ray /
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Chuck Kutscher, a principal research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, explains a process used to test and improve tubes used to collect and transfer the sun’s heat in a concentrated solar facility. The tubes run down the center of a parabolic trough of mirrors that reflect sunlight onto the tube.

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Wind turbines including this one are an increasingly common sight on horizons in Logan County, where a Florida-based company is leasing land from farmers to generate and sell wind power.

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Wind turbines, like this one near Peetz, rely on a seemingly endless supply of gusty winds to generate renewable power for nearby citizens and businesses.

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Colorado's Director of Natural Resources Harris Sherman, left, and Tom Plant, director of Gov. Bill Ritter's energy office were on hand for the official groundbreaking ceremony at the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center in Peetz on May 16.

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Gov. Bill Ritter speaks to local residents, government officials and members of the media gathered in Peetz on May 16 for the groundbreaking ceremony at the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center.

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Gov. Bill Ritter speaks to local residents, government officials and members of the media gathered in Peetz on May 16 for the groundbreaking ceremony at the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center.

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Local residents, government officials and members of the media gathered in Peetz on May 16 for the groundbreaking ceremony at the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center, which will become a major player in wind power production in Colorado and across the western United States.

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Jody Buss, an attendant at the Cenex station in Peetz, points out the way to the Peetz Table Wind Energy Center which will become a major player in wind power production in Colorado and across the western United States.

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Land leasing fees for wind turbines are a welcome source of new income for ranchers and farmers near Peetz, where years of drought have stifled the agriculture industry. Landowners are not responsible for the upkeep of wind turbines, and typically receive several thousand dollars per year, per turbine, in leasing fees..

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