| Resource Type | Toolkit |
| Author / Source | National Laboratory of the Rockies |
| Publication Date | Ongoing |
| Location | United States |
| Initiative Type | Technology, Policy |
| Project Complexity | Advanced |
| Recommended For | Staff |
Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes
Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops
Cambium provides modeled hourly projections of the U.S. electricity sector through 2050 across eight possible futures, giving co-op planning staff forward-looking metrics like future electricity prices and emissions to test long-term decisions against. For co-ops weighing new generation, power purchase agreements, or G&T contract positions, this kind of scenario data helps quantify exposure to wholesale price volatility and stranded asset risk before capital is committed.
This is a raw dataset rather than a how-to guide, so its value is realized when staff or a consultant translates the projections into a planning input. Co-ops without dedicated planning capacity can hand it to their G&T, statewide association, or consultant to build the analysis.
Key Takeaways
| › | Cambium delivers modeled hourly data through 2050 across eight scenarios that vary renewable and battery costs, natural gas prices, and demand growth, letting co-ops evaluate decisions against a spread of outcomes rather than a single forecast. |
| › | The dataset reports forward-looking metrics built for decision support, useful for valuing long-lived assets and timing procurement against projected grid evolution. |
| › | A downloadable Workbook helps users levelize cost values to their own project time frame, lowering the lift for applying the data to a specific co-op decision. |
Implementation Considerations
- Staffing or Technology Requirements: Interpreting hourly scenario data and applying it to a resource plan requires analytical capacity, so this is an input for technically capable users rather than a standalone decision aid. The usable tool is the Cambium dataset (scenario viewer and workbook), suited to planning staff or a consultant doing resource planning, PPA evaluation, or G&T contract analysis, who pull the scenario projections and apply them as one input among several. Smaller co-ops will likely engage with it through a consultant or G&T/statewide proxy rather than directly. The supporting technical report (Cambium 2024 Scenario Descriptions and Documentation) is analyst reference material, not co-op reading, and should be read by the planner or consultant before relying on Cambium outputs. Boards do not use either piece directly; their interest is fully served by a staff briefing that carries forward the key caveats below.
- Regulatory or Governance Considerations: The documentation is explicit that Cambium should not be the sole basis for decisions, that its marginal costs are not estimates of retail rates, and that it is built for long-term rather than near-term analysis. Boards reviewing staff analysis built on this data should treat results as one scenario-based input and not a retail-rate forecast.
- Time-Sensitive Information: The scenarios reflect policies as of August 2024 and model IRA tax credits as enacted, which may no longer match the current federal funding and policy environment. Cost figures and near-term projections are also subject to change with annual updates, so users should confirm they are working from the latest release.
Estimated reading time: 30+ minutes
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