Capturing the Impact of Methane Emissions January 24, 2020 Annika Roberts Methane – the primary component of natural gas – is a very potent greenhouse gas. The Council aims to account for it in its 2021 Power Plan.
NEEA Celebrates 2019 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Award Recipients December 16, 2019 Carol Winkel In December, the Board of Directors of the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance honored the winners of the 2019 Leadership in Energy Efficiency Awards at an event in downtown Portland, including the Council's own Charles Grist and Tina Jayaweera.
Northwest Economy Continues to Grow While Using Less Energy December 16, 2019 Carol Winkel According to the Council's manager of economic analysis, the Pacific Northwest's economy grew at a faster rate than the nation's in 2018.
Are Pumped Storage and Renewable Generation a Match? December 12, 2019 Carol Winkel The potential pairing of two carbon-free resources is creating buzz; the Council's power plan will road test the proposition
Sizing Up Onshore Wind Generation November 18, 2019 Carol Winkel Mike Starrett briefed the power committee on how staff will model onshore wind generation in its 2021 regional power plan. Wind is the largest source of renewable energy in the U.S. and the Northwest's second largest renewable resource after hydro generation.
Natural Gas Price Forecast: Abundant supplies, low cost for now November 18, 2019 Carol Winkel In preparation for the Council's 2021 regional power plan, Senior Economic Analyst Steven Simmons presented analysis on the price forecast for natural gas, which is a strong indicator of electricity prices and resource developments, and is therefore a key input in the Council's modeling.
John Ollis Promoted to Manager of Planning and Analysis October 25, 2019 As the manager of planning and analysis, he will be responsible for setting the work priorities for the analysts working on power system modeling.
Not Your Grandfather's Utility October 24, 2019 Carol Winkel Utilities are selling less electricity as efficiency improves, while still needing to pay for the fixed costs of the power system infrastructure. Debra Smith, general manager and CEO of Seattle City Light, provides insight on this challenge.
Chance of Power Shortfalls Increase as Coal Plants Retire September 24, 2019 Carol Winkel 2024 Resource Adequacy Assessment underscores challenges as region moves away from coal-fired generation
2018 Energy Efficiency Improvements Keep Region On Track Toward Regional Power Plan Goals September 20, 2019 John Harrison Savings reported for 2018 are equal to the power demand of 164,000 Northwest homes; lighting improvements were a big contributor