Renewable Energy Gets Its Second Wind August 22, 2018 Carol Winkel Wind and solar generation development is on the rise, thanks to declining costs
Region Exceeds Two-Year Benchmark for Energy Efficiency August 15, 2018 Jennifer Light In 2016 and 2017, the region achieved 404 average megawatts of electric energy efficiency savings, exceeding the first two-year efficiency target in the Council’s Seventh Northwest Power Plan (2016).
Connecting Montana's Wind Generation to the Grid July 16, 2018 Carol Winkel Bringing Montana's wind power to Northwest utilities looks promising; tapping into the existing capacity of the grid will help.
The State of Research for Planning the Future of the Power Grid July 03, 2018 Ben Kujala I recently had the pleasure of attending the Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS) conference in Boise, ID. The conference brought some of the brightest minds together to explore how computer models and mathematics can help keep the lights on.
An Economic Approach to Electricity Adequacy July 03, 2018 Carol Winkel Council power division staff authored a paper on a methodology to determine what types of resources are most cost-effective with respect to maintaining adequacy; energy efficiency and demand response are more cost-effective than gas-fired plants for meeting peak demand.
Council supports DOE selecting a pumped storage site in the Northwest for study June 27, 2018 Understanding the potential revenue streams from a specific pumped-storage hydropower project within the region would go a long way toward making pumped-storage a competitive option for future consideration and development.
Energy Efficiency Has Cut Regional Power Use By 25 Percent Since 1990 June 18, 2018 John Harrison Energy efficiency improvements have reduced per-capita electricity use 25 percent in Northwest since 1990.
Regional Power Supply Adequate Through 2020 June 18, 2018 John Harrison Northwest utilities and the Power Council are planning now for the impact of three coal plant retirements.
Energy Efficiency Potential for Northwest Cannabis Growers June 05, 2018 Carol Winkel As more cannabis is grown outdoors, less energy is used. Using more energy-efficient lighting, HVAC systems, and better-designed facilities will increase energy savings.
Could Electric Vehicles Become a New Source of Demand? May 29, 2018 Steven Simmons The Council is preparing to incorporate this new source of electricity demand into its power plan