Xcel Energy’s President & CEO Ben Fowke took the stage at the St. Thomas Alumni Association for their First Friday Speaker Series and framed the company’s vision on going carbon-free.
Key Takeaways:
- Fowke’s second visit (his first to this forum was seven years ago) showcases a dramatic flip in Xcel’s supply portfolio
- Xcel Energy projects to be carbon-free by 2050, with an exit out of coal by 2030
- Fowke says of going of 100% carbon free: “While 2050 is a little way off, if we don’t get started now, we won’t get there.”
Path to 100% Perspective:
Xcel Energy CEO Ben Fowke was the keynote speaker to kick off the University of St. Thomas Alumni Association’s 29th Annual First Friday Speaker Series. Mr. Fowke’s first appearance at this event was in 2012 – since then, he has committed Xcel on a path to 100% renewables. In addition to giving a detailed plan on how Xcel will exit carbon-based power systems, Mr. Fowke likewise gave a pragmatic view on the topic: “Scientists will tell you what you can do, economists will tell you what you should do, [and] your legislators and regulators [will] tell you what you will do… We have to get all of that right because public policy really matters.” Learn about the five key takeaways from his speech, and read about Xcel’s 100% renewables progress on the University of St. Thomas Newsroom’s article “Five Observations: First Friday with Ben Fowke.”