Wholesale Electricity Prices Come Into Focus
Throughout the West, retiring coal plants and a plethora of clean energy policies in states, municipalities, and utilities have changed how electricity markets function, adding even more uncertainty to an already challenging enterprise: forecasting the future.
Gauging the Impact of Upstream Methane Leaks
At its June Council meeting, Principal Analyst Steven Simmons presented the staff's recommendation for emission inputs from natural gas and coal production, which will be used in developing the Council's 2021 Power Plan.
In the Mix: Testing Small Modular Reactors as a Future Energy Source
At the June power committee meeting, Senior Policy Analyst Gillian Charles reviewed the primary generating resource reference plants developed for inclusion in the draft 2021 Power Plan and presented the proposed emerging technology reference plant that will be included as a resource option in the plan's scenario analysis.
Bonneville Power Administration's Potential for Achieving Energy Efficiency and Demand Response
At the June power committee meeting, staff presented an update on the supply curves for energy efficiency and demand response they will use to help analyze the resources available to the BPA in meeting its future obligations.
Assessing Future Energy Efficiency
At its May meeting, power division staff presented an assessment of the region's energy efficiency potential that will be used in the 2021 Power Plan's resource optimization and scenario analysis.
Accounting for Climate Change in the 2021 Power Plan
Climate change affects many aspects of the Council's analysis for its upcoming regional power plan. At its April meeting, staff reviewed how warming weather will be addressed in analyzing future resource development and energy efficiency.
Potential for Strong Energy Efficiency Savings
Cost-effective energy efficiency is the priority resource in the Council's regional power plan, and it's now the region's second largest resource after hydropower.
Rollback of Efficiency Standards for Light Bulbs Creates Challenges in Setting Efficiency Targets for 2021 Power Plan
Feb 26, 2020 Annika Roberts
The past two years have seen upheaval around federal efficiency standards for several appliances, including dishwashers and clothes washers, but especially for lightbulbs.
Exploring Key Power Supply Questions Through Scenario Analysis
Feb 26, 2020 Ben Kujala
The Council's regional power plan is not just an opinion of how the region should supply electricity. It is a strategy developed through a rigorous analytical process, conducted in the public sphere, where interested parties are invited to participate.
Lower Load Growth is Forecast Over the Next 30 Years
Demand for electricity in the Northwest is expected to remain low over the next 20-30 years, thanks in part to the growing use of on-site solar generation at homes and businesses.
Assessing Geothermal Energy Potential
The Pacific Northwest is literally a hotbed of geothermal activity. Part of the so-called Ring of Fire, an area of volcanoes and seismic activity, with hot spots deep within the Earth's mantle, the region is a prime location for geothermal energy.
Imagining the Future to Prepare for It
Scenarios provide critical information to aid the region in navigating through a volatile and uncertain energy future.
The Northwest's Regional Power Plan: Its Role in Securing Our Power Supply
Apr 11, 2019 Mark Walker
The Pacific Northwest's approach to energy planning is different from just about everywhere else in the world: It is a regionally coordinated, public process where everyone can help decide how we meet our energy needs.
Wind Power, Then and Now
We recently updated a very useful brochure (online interactive version) on the Pacific Northwest's power supply, and it really brought home just how fast wind power has grown in
Update: Columbia Grid Wind Integration Study
In an earlier post on the Columbia Grid's study on wind integration we included a link that doesn't connect to the study--just to information on the study team. Apparently, the
For Now, Local Wind Development Trumps Remote Wind
Earlier this month, the Columbia Grid Wind Integration Study Team released its report on the economics of developing wind resources close to load centers compared to developing
NW, California Work on Wind Energy Issues
We've been talking about the challenges that California's renewable energy goals pose for the Northwest, and last week the region's utility community had an opportunity to meet
Making Wind Work
In an earlier post, we talked about how California's quest for renewable energy has meant that a growing portion of the wind energy developed in the Northwest is going to our ne
And the Wind Came Up
When we say wind is an "intermittent" resource, we mean it. This Bonneville Power Administration graph shows the output of wind generation for a seven-day period and how quickly
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