Clean, renewable energy sources – including wind, solar and geothermal power – do not pollute our air or our water and will never run out, unlike coal, natural gas and other fossil fuels. While fossil fuels are still the dominant source of electricity worldwide, renewable energy development is on the rise.
The public can now view a new online display of wind and other data the Bonneville Power Administration uses to monitor weather conditions that drive the growing amount of wind energy generated in the Northwest.
Several companies have been working with the Energy Trust of Oregon and the city of Portland to solarize the city. The project goes from neighborhood to neighborhood, with hundreds of customers signing for installation of photovoltaic cells. So Portland is experiencing a huge penetration of solar power at very reasonable costs thanks to economies of scale…
The Idaho PUC has opened public comment periods on a number of proposed rate changes by Idaho Power and a proposed plan to manage the “green tags” it can obtain from renewable energy projects from which it buys power…
Last week, Washington Governor Chris Gregoire approved the Desert Claim wind project in Kittitas County, eight miles north of Ellensburg, WA.
Using simple smart water heaters to integrate intermittent renewables
– Wind-generated power is clean, relatively cheap and available in large quantities. But the wind itself is quite unpredictable, so much so that for each average megawatt (aMW) of wind power we need, we must erect about 3 megawatts of turbine capacity, since actual output could be anywhere from 0 to 3 megawatts at any instant.
Wind power costs on the rise?
Not nearly as much as coal, gas and nukes
We keep hearing how the costs of new renewable power – especially wind power – are going up. Fact is, the cost of wind power is rising far less than costs for coal, natural gas or nuclear power.
Moderator Ralph Cavanagh of NRDC and a panel of local and national experts discuss the possibilities and potential pitfalls of renewable energy generation in Montana at the 2008 Spring Conference and Board Meeting in Helena.
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The NW Energy Coalition is an alliance of more than 100 environmental, civic, and human service organizations, progressive utilities, and businesses in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska and British Columbia. We promote development of renewable energy and energy conservation, consumer protection, low-income energy assistance, and fish and wildlife restoration on the Columbia and Snake rivers.
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