[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},"mediaId",6280579,"mediaKeyId","2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa","parentId",2614093,"title","Xcel tells PUC managed charging assumed to rise from 5% to 70%; commissioners press for detail on shapes and programs","audioSeconds",2494,"startMs",1910000,"endMs",4404000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa&start=1910&end=4404","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa/thumbnail_1910000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6280579/Colorado/Xcel-tells-PUC-managed-charging-assumed-to-rise-from-5-to-70-commissioners-press-for-detail-on-shapes-and-programs","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280579-044949cefc9fb05594b19b5679912654/orig.mp4?Expires=1774971249&Signature=oEmSFUt4lkb-VobZ5AFTOTuplea4m145gYNeqPpXxPN0-wiObP7ibsvtAEnlTz4RBVEyT3MC6V9W5WAHk2t5h7StqEQv9bVWktQVDYkMBsxX6AoldNXFWiAaPaj2w595U1nsaPXkp~LhTDPoCTkL~Eevstl-4~VxP-PNhlZ6mlBPubhvomQCK4c1TD3PA~UU38bMw304xQDuCSXckRFl9TtJsG~pu3aDTIfgJhk9ONytIFACgAesFt0rEESW54AeH6jjoGuLdPfPQ1a~GChL4lUOanIcL8aEhU0C98eWidvzWC-9Ewr14VHGTMQ8ulZQi0aHBzyiVGWMPHJ3nJ75DA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-03-13T23:13:18Z","article","Commissioners at the Colorado Public Utilities Commission’s joint technical conference on March 13 pressed Xcel Energy (Public Service Company) witnesses for detail about the company’s electric‑vehicle charging forecasts, managed‑charging assumptions and customer programs.

Xcel staff told the commission that vehicle counts in the service territory were roughly 100,000 and that about 5,000 customers were enrolled in an actively managed charging pilot; the company also said about 10,000 enrollments exist in a passive managed‑charging program. Company witnesses said the JTS (Just Transition) analysis assumed managed charging participation would rise from about 5% today to roughly 70% across the long run (to 2050), with a staged “tranching” approach that flattens evening charging windows over time.

Attorneys and commissioners repeatedly asked for detail: how managed charging was represented in the DSP versus the JTS, whether the model assumes two Level‑2 chargers per household in some illustrative “customer of the future,” and whether managed charging was modeled for distribution‑level constraints as well as bulk‑system peak mitigation. Xcel witnesses said:
- The company uses vehicle registration data by ZIP code as the baseline and reported ~100,000 vehicles in its territory and ~5,000 participants in the active managed pilot, ~10,000 in passive managed charging.
- Managed charging shapes used in the JTS are derived from metered data for enrolled customers; the DSP applies a compatible but not identical shape because of modeling tool differences.
- In the JTS scenarios Xcel ran an aggressive VPP/ADer scenario (company term ADER / colloquially referred to as VPP) and a goal adoption scenario that included a 50% managed‑charging assumption used to estimate potential distribution infrastructure avoidance. Company witnesses said the highest managed‑charging scenario showed an aggregate distribution infrastructure savings on the order of billions of dollars over the long run; in testimony staff cited roughly a $5 billion distribution‑infrastructure savings estimate between now and 2050 under a high managed‑charging scenario.

Commissioners pressed for transparency about assumptions that materially affect near‑term distribution projects and budgets: which customers are assumed to connect early, whether some customers will simply charge at 8–12 amp cord‑in outlets, and how workplace and public charging are treated. Xcel said its Loadseer spatial‑allocation tool disaggregates high‑level forecasts to individual premises using socioeconomic, transportation and parcel data and that the assumptions about charger counts, charging power and managed participation are embedded in the load shapes assigned to premises.

Xcel also described planned program steps to expand managed charging. Company witnesses said the initial program and settlement design focuses on bulk‑system peaks and maximizing renewable energy use, but that the company intends to develop distribution‑targeted managed‑charging and grid‑DER use cases (called a “gridDER” or “phase 2” approach in testimony) with pilot deployments and telemetry. They said tools and communications for distribution‑targeted use cases will require additional technical integration and are expected on a limited set of feeders in the 2026 timeframe.

Commissioners asked Xcel to supplement testimony with granular details about current enrollments and assumptions; Xcel said it would provide clarifications where feasible in supplemental filings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","24A-0442E & 24A-0547E Public Service Company - 2024 JTS & Electric - DSP 2025-2029 - 03.13.25 - HRA","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioners at the Colorado PUC technical conference pressed Xcel Energy on March 13 to explain how the company models managed EV charging and how those assumptions affect distribution investment needs.","taxTitle","Public Utilities Commission, Governor's Boards and Commissions, Organizations, Executive, Colorado","taxId",28165,"location","Colorado","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6280584,"Xcel says 75% feeder threshold guides distribution investments; commissioners seek transparency",193,2992000,3185000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa&start=2992&end=3185","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa/thumbnail_2992000.jpg","/articles/6280584/Colorado/Xcel-says-75-feeder-threshold-guides-distribution-investments-commissioners-seek-transparency","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280584-bbd335897cfd02db1b8ec8bcd36cd00f/orig.mp4?Expires=1774971249&Signature=TUleGCKZaUPB9DlJcgCsNUpYGJUhwyYsQXx2JDQIJhFBQ7s2U3MoYbcGH-w8IQ5zw0mWCgMmZxrVfZpwxZ~2ZPi~0-3rmJhhVcNnLHbvVCylaWY9ORuiHz65lxIL-wQ0GcG96H8E05iBSaoze2JaI3fiyj46W~IxKrGy-~3FJrGYpL7HMg5Lx~EvH7bGIemj5O9YTOwsltKHyM0GVvuOv-vtXRlGkaQOJkV9TUtFEYlUFc~mGPTEh5wkcH~4sFoa70R1mbbZJfcH5FTOD6vTHR48VEUleKXpXwsitwlUzUy3BMf~stIc~IUoi3g~7igOxH8eSTvtS0gh~Fvb2PKhAQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Chair Eric Blank and commissioners pressed Xcel Energy (Public Service Company) staff on March 13 about the company’s distribution planning criteria and how forecast assumptions translate into near‑term capital spending.

The commission sought clarity on the company’s 75% “planning load” threshold for feeders — a design parameter the utility said it has used for years to identify when capital projects should be initiated so there is sufficient lead time for engineering, procurement and construction. Xcel’s distribution system planning manager, David Maino, said, “the 75% design criteria has been in place by the company for…some time now,” and described it as a trigger to identify projects, not an absolute operating limit.

The question matters because the company’s distribution plan relies on detailed 8,760‑hour (hourly year) forecasts. Xcel uses an internal forecasting tool called Loadseer to allocate high‑level forecasts to specific substations, feeders and premises; planners then evaluate asset‑level overload risk and propose mitigation projects. Maino told commissioners the 75% threshold targets operational headroom and helps ensure the company can design and construct work prior to equipment reaching its continuous rating, which in the company’s practice is 100% of the device rating.

Commissioners asked why the company could not simply re‑run Loadseer with changed load‑shape assumptions as a faster alternative to the company’s proposed variance procedure. Xcel acknowledged Loadseer is a continuously updated, “living” model and said it cannot simply rewind to an earlier set of assumptions and rerun a system‑wide forecast; instead the company proposed manually re‑evaluating a representative subset of projects to show the effects of a changed load curve. David Maino said the company’s suggested variance would “evaluate a subset of projects that we feel are representative of the overall distribution system.”

Xcel staff outlined how planners translate forecasts into projects. Substation transformer banks, feeder routing and local topology are unique at each site, staff said, so mitigation selection typically requires site‑specific power‑flow modeling, peer review and scoped capital planning. Commissioners expressed concern this asset‑by‑asset approach makes scenario testing slow, and asked whether the company can preserve or “save as” prior Loadseer states to enable quicker sensitivity runs.

Company witnesses said they are working with vendors to improve versioning and automation but that, today, redoing system‑wide forecasts and rerunning downstream power flows is resource intensive. Staff also noted that some projects identified in the five‑year plan are long‑lead assets (for example, substations) where earlier initiation of preconstruction is required to meet later in‑service dates.

Commissioners signaled they expect further filings. The company agreed to try to provide clarifications and targeted supplemental testimony, including an analysis of representative projects, and to describe efforts to enable more rapid reruns of Loadseer forecasts.

The technical conference continued with separate discussion of electric vehicle forecasts, beneficial electrification and large new loads.","Chair Eric Blank and commissioners pressed Xcel Energy (Public Service Company) staff on March 13 about the company’s distribution planning criteria and how forecast assumptions translate into near‑term capital spending.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6280570,"Data‑center growth fuels PUC questions about transmission, siting and incentives",1846,13582000,15428000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa&start=13582&end=15428","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa/thumbnail_13582000.jpg","/articles/6280570/Colorado/Datacenter-growth-fuels-PUC-questions-about-transmission-siting-and-incentives","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280570-f1b7b52007522739fc38d002cce9cd16/orig.mp4?Expires=1774971249&Signature=bdQyv7SK~tm8GAMNHSXW9LE-8SXEpdRAcEbz~T-4Z9m-Sdqq-0RshQy2GrWFjyj0XE7zNVnWy0PxRSdCeTyfxzfGopp0vA1LaCtO3xkQ1HK0wBrAV9N30g~Xy1Istlo~BlR-WncZKWAxqyystqxrBMirRcWdXV6ByGyHNPbyW-on315Be-RbL4JQnqqX8b~31uK5f2Lw4NoU366GTOgn04IIn1WEozOaZS2J9CNRV2KdU18uXA8o4b3tqwVh7Bc~mtO~vd5-SR0Gf1uS7MaCuG0nXuQSw4XDgTsvi601IS22HQVXyKydLac2xt9uPROT9Il6Pco9Yhxy0h6aL5ZK3A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Large new loads — notably data centers and other high load‑factor facilities — were a central topic at the March 13 Colorado PUC technical conference. Commissioners and company witnesses discussed how those loads affect long‑range generation and transmission planning and whether siting incentives change outcomes.

Xcel’s commercial witness described the company’s customer engagements: the modeled data‑center loads in the filings were not cryptocurrency operations but high‑load‑factor AI and hyperscaler facilities. Company witnesses said these customers generally require very reliable service, often maintain on‑site backup generation (diesel or other), and have not yet broadly committed to dispatchable load‑flex strategies; some hyperscalers are exploring advanced flex technologies but those approaches are not yet standard business practice.

Commissioners probed whether locating multiple large loads in the same constrained region (for example, some eastern Aurora areas discussed in the JTS) would materially raise transmission needs or could be incentivized to reduce system costs. Company witnesses said transmission impacts depend on both the location of loads and where new generation is sited; Xcel described scenario modeling done in the JTS that examined alternative siting outcomes and said that, in some fringe Denver‑area locations, clustering can present transmission advantages while in other parts of the metro area it could raise needs.

The commission asked whether Colorado’s lack of a sales‑and‑use tax exemption for large data‑center investment (a policy some other states use to attract data centers) could deter projects. Company witnesses said economic incentives can matter to corporate siting decisions but emphasized multiple factors (talent availability, water and fiber, access to markets) also drive location choices. Xcel said it would continue to engage customers and share results of cluster studies and system‑impact work.

Commissioners also asked whether the company had reserved long‑lead equipment (combustion turbines, large power transformers) to meet potential near‑term needs; company witnesses confirmed that the company uses procurement strategies and, for some projects, has arrangements to assure equipment availability, and noted there are also limits tied to supply chain and skilled labor availability.

The company agreed to provide clarifying information on transmission cost allocation and the assumptions behind its long‑term rate‑impact models and to update the record where necessary.","Xcel told the Colorado PUC on March 13 that large new loads such as AI/data centers are mostly high load‑factor customers that currently show little load‑flexibility; the company said it is engaging customers and expects most to rely on on‑site backup generation and firm utility service, and commissioners probed whether siting and tax incentives",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":56,"_74":56},6280574,"Company and commissioners debate water‑heater and heat‑pump load shapes and modeling vintages",3515,8923000,12438000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa&start=8923&end=12438","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2614093-39a9a37c5617bc5391ef2d6475c384aa/thumbnail_8923000.jpg","/articles/6280574/Colorado/Company-and-commissioners-debate-waterheater-and-heatpump-load-shapes-and-modeling-vintages","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6280574-9c89bc453d006441d2175bcd173f1c1b/orig.mp4?Expires=1774971249&Signature=ZEaNYQSslRuMhRvRUjnQNIbri~MHc8sY2U-5f0SHg18ydzJajAyp0ZbbJvxGW3qPdUeyQDyInrfjf9hLArSajFHhIoKByVHDbEpiL-c3nbPfkBVmLvOiNTEo09XKmHYzb8segQWH0et~xDFDdjdmup38DAMz3spw5n6pONcb6nA6tIkDUyiCTPiRbHYdr08qab10JcFbf3PNRxamAfXZQjxS1utpmMyqT-XJihymHWb~pAaijUQEkkBR1GaQBL3bGeRKnzx0ZIEKUHEnaDqnCtmwbZ0o~a9l7XwMXNGMYJXe3yVliUqzzNks1sX72k3xN8i4glTuBqQmWZ9q0XLFcA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the March 13 technical conference the commission pressed Xcel Energy witnesses on the end‑use load shapes underlying the company’s distribution and system forecasts for beneficial electrification, especially heat‑pump water heaters and cold‑climate space heat pumps.

Witnesses said differences between the company’s Distribution System Plan (DSP) and Just Transition filing (JTS) largely reflect timing and data vintages. Mark Schoenhider and others explained the DSP used water‑heater shapes from a 2023 DSM filing that showed spikier hourly peaks (including short, high resistance‑heating events). The JTS used a more recent 2024–26 DSM profile that is flatter and more diverse across premises. Schoenhider said the DSP figure in the technical appendix included a misfiled graphic for one curve (a figure the company planned to correct) but that the modeling used the intended load shapes.

On space heating, company witnesses described a forward‑looking cold‑climate heat‑pump specification used for an “all‑electric” household baseline. That modeled heat pump had a coefficient of performance (COP) at 5°F of about 2.31 and retained capacity to about −2°F, with electric‑resistance backup providing a small portion of heat only at the lowest modeled hours. The company said that in the weather year used for Loadseer the coldest hour was about −3°F, so extreme resistant‑heat use was limited in the forecast.

Commissioners asked why some water‑heater curves show large mid‑day spikes and whether those spikes should be applied uniformly to every home. Company witnesses said the spike shapes derive from NREL load‑use data and from a limited set of metered pilot units; the company acknowledged the spikier DSP water‑heater shape may overstate coincident peaks at the aggregate distribution level and said the JTS shape is a more diverse/flatter representation for system‑level planning. David Maino and others said Loadseer currently applies a single per‑device curve to each premise and that tool cannot yet add premise‑level diversity adjustments over time; Xcel said it is working with its vendor to improve that granularity in future forecasts.

Commissioners asked the company to produce the data sources behind these load shapes and to clarify which vintage was used where; Xcel said it would supply sources in forthcoming supplemental materials and noted it would correct one mislabeled figure in the DSP technical appendix.","Commissioners questioned Xcel Energy about different load shapes used for electric water heaters and heat‑pump space heating in the DSP and JTS filings. Company witnesses said the water‑heater shape used in the DSP came from an earlier DSM filing (2023) and produced a spikier profile, while the JTS used a newer DSM shape that is flatter; the firm","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Xcel tells PUC managed charging assumed to rise from 5% to 70%; commissioners press for detail on shapes and programs

Xcel says 75% feeder threshold guides distribution investments; commissioners seek transparency

Data‑center growth fuels PUC questions about transmission, siting and incentives

Company and commissioners debate water‑heater and heat‑pump load shapes and modeling vintages