The Independence Institute released a takedown of the 100 percent renewable energy goal that’s at the heart of U.S. Rep. Jared Polis’ campaign for governor last week, calculating out a $45 billion price tag.

That would be the cost to extend the 30 percent renewable standard by 2020 (passed by voters in 2004) to Polis’ goal of 100 percent by 2040.

Over coffee Friday, Polis said he found the report interesting, but wrong. The goal is just about the only thing the report got right, the congressman said.

“One of those policies my plan does not include is one of those attacked by the Independence Institute,” Polis said, cracking a smile.

He added, “It was about a policy I don’t have.”

Polis characterized the renewable energy standard examined by the paper as a “top down” approach that he, like the Independence Institute, finds unworkable, for different reasons, however.

“The way we plan to get our state to 100 percent renewable by 2040 … is a bottom-up approach using market mechanisms, like encouraging distributed wind and solar projects, removing regulatory barriers to siting wind projects on state lands and lots of other things I could go into in detail,” Polis said.

The Independence Institute never called him or his staff to talk about his plan before jumping to high-priced conclusions. The report was done by Arlington, Va.-based Energy Ventures Analysis.

His plan more broadly and much more cheaply includes:

The Independence Institute report is available by clicking here.

Colorado Politics’ Dan Njegomir reported on the back-and-forth between Polis and the Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara Friday morning.

“We commissioned the study because no one was asking these candidates how they would implement such a plan and the candidates themselves haven’t provided many details,” Independence Institute executive vice president Amy Cooke,  said in a statement.