VanDyne SuperTurbo, a promising Fort Collins company that develops fuel-efficient engine turbochargers, is planning to move out of the city because it can get a better rate elsewhere on energy it wants to sell back to the utility.

It's a problem for other companies in the energy economy as well, including solar-equipment manufacturers and smart-grid component developers.

"It's not unique to this one business," said Neal Lurie, executive director of Colorado Solar Energy Industries Association. Fragmented utility rates and rules are "part of a large problem within the burgeoning energy marketplace in Colorado," he said.

The uneven playing field is forcing tough choices for companies, and "making it harder for entrepreneurs to operate in Colorado," Lurie said.

The pending relocation comes as VanDyne SuperTurbo gears up for a major growth spurt, thanks to contracts with the Army and one of the world's largest truck-engine makers, Cummins Inc., among others.

To prove out its technology, VanDyne technicians have to run engines for thousands of hours. The process consumes lots of diesel fuel, but the company can offset its costs and impact on the environment by returning unused energy