Green industry

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Green industry in Portland and Oregon

NOTE Utility-scale, alternative power in Oregon and Portland, solar and wind energy providers, and green building leadership in Portland are overviewed here, but many smaller "green" or sustainable-focused firms have not (yet) been listed or described. Wikipedia has a comprehensive Energy Section for more information.

Introduction

Oregon and Portland is becoming a green energy hub, [1][2] with utility scale energy generation using Wind, Solar and Wave, investments in electric car charging infrastructure, batteries and inverter technology, and a green building hub providing leadership nationwide.

Sustainable Utility Power in Oregon

Oregon's legislature passed a law in 2007 that requires utilities to get at least 25 percent of Oregon's power from renewable sources by 2025.[3] For 10 years beginning March 2002, through Oregon's Renewable Resource Programs[4], Portland General Electric (PGE) and Pacific Power customers pay a 3 percent charge on their monthly bills for conservation and renewable resource programs under Oregon's electric industry restructuring law. About 17 percent of the funds, estimated at $10 million to $13 million per year, are for projects that generate electricity from renewable resources. The Energy Trust of Oregon[5] administers the funds. Its goal for renewable resources is that they supply 10 percent of the state's electricity needs by 2012, an eight-fold increase.That goal has been largely attained.

Oregon energy usage chart
Oregon energy usage chart

The U.S. is on a trajectory to generate 20% of the nation’s electricity from wind energy by 2030.[6] Wind and solar can (potentially) be cheaper than hydro, nukes or coal,[7] but renewables have more variables (like sun and wind) and can't store power (like a dam), or deliver on-demand power (like fossil fuel, hydro or nuclear). The U.S. spends about $1 billion a day importing oil, which is now over $100 a barrel[8], according to Energy Secretary Steven Chu[9]. The Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) is funding breakthrough research in clean-energy technologies.

BPA transmission lines in Oregon
BPA transmission lines in Oregon

The Northwest is an energy exporter. The Bonneville Power Administration was created in 1937 to market electric power from the region's dams. BPA owns and operates approximately 75 percent of the high voltage transmission lines in the Pacific Northwest. Bonneville's headquarters are in Portland. It's one of four regional Federal power marketing agencies within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE).


The Pacific Intertie: The high voltage DC line connecting Oregon to Los Angeles.

Power companies are provided with incentives by the federal government to get off coal and gas, often used to generate electricity. More sustainable alternatives, such as solar or wind are viewed as beneficial to the country's long term economic health. Dams are excellent power generators, but the Columbia River is nearly tapped out. Fishing issues and river transportation are also problematic.

The Dalles Dam[10], constructed by the federal government in 1957, is one of the largest "renewable" energy sources. It produces close to 1,800 megawatts of hydro power. Bonneville Dam, 40 miles east of Portland, has a capacity of 1.2 Gigawatts. The Grand Coulee Dam[11] is the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States and fifth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world (2008), producing 6.8 Megawatts.

The Pacific DC Intertie[12], on Bonneville's grid[13], connects to Los Angeles with a line capacity of 3,100 megawatts.

The Northwest Power Act of 1980 called on the Northwest to give energy conservation top priority, since a megawatt saved is the equivalent of a megawatt produced. The Bonneville Power Administration is now launching their Post-2011 Energy Efficiency program.

Reducing dependency on foreign oil is a major thrust. Attracting innovative new businesses with growth potential and good jobs is another motivator.

The Federal Department of Energy, the State of Oregon and Portland aim to provide leadership in "green energy" and become a hub for sustainable innovations. Oregon is an energy exporter, tied into the grid through Bonneville. We also have lots of wind in the Gorge, Pacific Ocean waves, semi-conductor expertise for solar, and lots of scrap wood for cellulosic ethanol fuel.

Projected Growth of Green Economy

The main renewable energy industries grew 35% last year[14], and revenues should double again this decade, according to the Clean Energy Trends[15], a research and advisory firm based in Portland.

Sustainability Growth
Sustainability Growth

The Oregon Global Warming Commission was created by the 2007 Legislature. Keep Oregon Cool, is their website.

Solar and Nuclear costs compared; From Phoenix Sun.
Solar and Nuclear costs compared; From Phoenix Sun.

Grid parity[16] is when renewable energy costs are equivalent to non-renewables such as coal or oil. Grid Parity has been reached in Hawaii, where electricity costs around $.30 per Kilowatt hour (it's less then $.10 in Oregon). Most of the US is expected to reach grid parity by 2015, says Wikipedia. Gas will go up as renewables come down.

US energy consumption by energy source.
US energy consumption by energy source.

A low-carbon economy[17] is generally regarded as essential for maintaining life as we know it. The goal: Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050 [18]. It's a huge challenge.

Wind Farms in Oregon

Sampling of wind-related companies in Portland Metro area.

Wind power is one of the fastest growing forms of new electricity generation in the U.S., according to the American Wind Energy Association. In recent years, around 40% of all new generation capacity added to the electric grid in the U.S. was from wind power projects. A May 2008 Department of Energy study says wind power can provide 20% of the nation's electricity by 2030.

PGE[19], the state's largest utility, hopes to shut down the state's only coal-fired power plant 20 years earlier[20] than planned. PGE has natural gas and coal-fired power plants in Boardman and has proposed one or two additional natural gas plants there, if it closes its Boardman coal plant to meet haze-reduction rules or avoid carbon taxes[21]. The 585-megawatt coal fired plant[22] provides enough electricity to serve about 250,000 residential customers. The Vestas[23] V90 is a 3.0 MW wind turbine, so over 200 would be required to produce similar power. But only when the wind is blowing.

About 4 percent of PGE's energy comes from wind farms[24] — mostly the Biglow Canyon Wind Farm[25], plus power PGE purchases on contract from the Klondike II[26] and Vansycle Ridge[27] wind farms. The Stateline Wind Farm[28] runs along the Columbia River[29].

Wind turbines near MaryHill, photo by Sam Churchill
Wind turbines near MaryHill, photo by Sam Churchill
Windfarms along the Columbia River
Windfarms along the Columbia River

Iberdrola Renewables[43], headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is the second largest provider[44] of wind in the country has 41 wind farms in the United States with an installed capacity of 3,877 megwatts[45], enough to power close to 1 million average U.S. households. Klondike Wind Power[46], a subsidiary of Iberdrola Renewables, sells power to the Bonneville Power Administration[47]. Iberdrola's National Control Center in Portland receives data from approximately 800,000 sensors that monitor, weather, power generation and security at Iberdrola facilities around the country.

A SCADA system, supplied by PcVue relays wind speed, wind direction, shaft rotation speed and other data on every wind turbine.

Sales of small wind turbines[48] (100 kilowatts and less) in the U.S. grew from 2,100 units in 2001 to 9,800 units in 2009 (peak has been 10,386 in 2008), according to the American Wind Energy Association[49]. Electrical power is relatively cheap in Oregon (7 cents a kilowatt hour, compared to 29 cents in Hawaii) so often Oregonians who buy small wind turbines, especially for homes, aren't trying to save money but rather to invest in renewable energy and/or attain some energy independence.

Xzeres[50], a small-wind turbine manufacturer, is in Wilsonville. Oregon Wind's small vertical Helyx[51] is designed and manufactured in Portland, using locally sourced recycled materials.


Wind Map of the USa
Wind Map of the USa

As of November 2010[52], the two largest wind farms are in Texas; the 781.5 MW Roscoe Wind Farm[53] is the largest in the world, followed by the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center[54] at 735.5 MW. The largest wind farm under construction is the 800 MW Alta Wind Energy Center[55] in California. The largest proposed project is the 10,000 MW Gansu Wind Farm[56] in China.

Solar Power in Oregon & Portland

The U.S. solar power industry grew 67 percent to $6 billion in 2010[57], up from $3.8 billion in 2009, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association[58].

Regional solar and electronics companies.

Crystalline silicon panels[59], like those made by industry leader SolarWorld in Hillsboro, Oregon[60], dominate 90% of the industry today[61]. Silicon prices have dropped recently, making traditional Monocrystalline silicon[62] more competitive, on a cost per watt basis, although competition from China is a constant worry.

The Portland region is positioning itself to be a production center for all three major photovoltaic technologies; Crystalline silicon[63], Cadmium Telluride[64] and Copper Indium Gallium Selenide[65].

  • Monocrystalline is the most efficient, which makes it well matched for the limited area available on homes and businesses.
  • Cadmium Telluride costs less, but is less efficient, so it's often used on utility scale projects with lots of real estate.

Thin-film technology has proved challenging to commercialize[66], although both major thin film technologies; Cadmium telluride[67] and CIGS[68] seem posed to provide a more streamlined production process, lowering costs.

Cadmium telluride panel[69] manufacturers, like Solexant[70], in Greham, Oregon, claims they can manufacture solar panels for less than $1 per watt, while Startup CIGs developer SoloPower[71] is is said to be eyeing Wilsonville for a manufacturing plant[72].

Whether thin films will represent a huge shift in energy economics[73] remains to be seen.

Solar World sign; From Sustainable Oregon Business.
Solar World sign; From Sustainable Oregon Business.

Some of the Photovoltaic players in the Portland region include:

  • SolarWorld[74], the largest manufacturer of solar panels in the United States. The company unveiled its 210,000-square-foot addition[75] to its Hillsboro, Ore., manufacturing plant in 2010. It is now the only monocrystalline solar manufacturing plant in the United States to produce every phase of solar panel manufacturing. SolarWorld will collaborate develop a 11.6-megawatt solar system[76] with the LA Department of Water and Power, using more than 46,000 solar modules on the 42-acre site. SolarWorld has been supported partly by tax incentives from the city of Hillsboro, the state of Oregon and the US government via the Recovery Act. SolarWorld Group has its main manufacturing operations in Hillsboro and in Freiburg, Germany.
  • SANYO Solar[77], claims to manufacturer the world’s most efficient solar panels, and has opened a monocrystalline growing facility in Salem, Ore[78]. The plant, spanning 130,000-square-feet at the Salem Renewable Energy and Technology Center and employing 200 highly skilled workers, represents an investment by SANYO of more than $84 million. Sanyo Solar grows crystals in Salem and slices them into wafers, which Japanese workers make into cells that go into panels in Japan, Hungary or Mexico.
SoloPower Flexible CIGS solar module.
SoloPower Flexible CIGS solar module.

Advanced Energy Systems[92] is the leading commercial solar integrator in Oregon, with commercial solar energy systems for Lewis and Clark College, ODOT, Kettle Foods, Pepsi-Cola, and other Oregon businesses.

Oregon Solar Highway project by I-5 and 217
Oregon Solar Highway project by I-5 and 217

The nation’s first Solar Highway project[93] (right) started feeding electricity into Portland's electricity grid on Dec. 19, 2008. PGE’s “Oregon Solar Highway”[94] is a 100kW system that contains about 8,000 square feet of solar panels extending about the length of two football fields. It incorporates SolarWorld silicon PV array and the Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems[95] (SEGIS), a DOE program to develop photovoltaic (PV) systems that seamlessly integrate into the distribution and transmission grid. The site doesn't store electricity - it just sells "green power" back to PGE.

Urban solar systems - with lots of grid power available - often skip expensive and troublesome battery storage. Power companies, provided with incentives to get off dirty coal, are willing to buy wind and solar generated power.

The SuNRISE lab contains $1 million of state-of-the-art equipment to analyze solar cells[96] on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene. Solar is cheaper than nuclear energy[97], according to Duke University[98]. iSuppli predicts that around 13.6 GW of PV will be installed this year[99].

Microinverters[100] can be installed on each panel to eliminate the "Christmas light" effect, where shadow on one panel can kill a serial-connected string. With microinverters, each panel outputs 110 volts AC. If one panel is in shadow it does not effect the output of other panels. Enphase[101] has pioneered this technique and offers online monitoring of your installation[102] - here's a 4.81 kW solar array in Portland[103].

PV Powered[104], based in Bend, goes the opposite route, offering utility-scale inverters such as their 260kW, 97% efficient[105] commercial inverter.

Teanaway Solar Reserve[106] announced plans for a 75-megawatt plant made up of 400,000 photovoltaic panels[107], 4 miles North of Cle Elum, Washington[108], near Ellensburg.

Solar map of the United States from National Renewable Energy Labratory.
Solar map of the United States from National Renewable Energy Labratory.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory[109] has solar maps of the United States. Oregon may be a good place to make solar panels, but our sunshine pales compared to America's Southwest. According to three industry experts[110], though 13 percent of power generated in Oregon comes from wind and solar, solar makes up less than one percent of the mix, or less than one tenth of one percent of the state's total energy picture.

The DOE's SunShot Initiative aims to reduce the total costs of photovoltaic solar energy systems by about 75 percent by the end of the decade, so that they are cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies. Right now solar costs as low as $1/watt to manufacture, but $4 installed. If it gets down to $1 per watt, it's comparable to or lower than other sources of generating electricity. A coal plant has an operational cost of $2.10 per watt.

Home power usage pie chart.

The Obama administration plans to fast-track utility-scale solar projects on BLM “solar energy zones” in six western states. But Oregon didn’t make the list[111], so any projects proposed on Bureau of Land Management land here – in southeast Oregon, for example – will have to go through a longer permitting process.

The largest solar power installation in the world[112] include the 48-MW Copper Mountain Solar Facility in Nevada[113], finished on Dec 1st, 2010, now the largest PV plant in the United States. More than 350 construction workers installed 775,000 First Solar panels that power the plant on the 380-acre site. Power from the Copper Mountain Solar Facility[114] (and the adjacent 10 MW El Dorado Solar Power Plant) has been sold to Pacific Gas & Electric under separate 20-year contracts. The completion of the project eclipsed the 20-MW DeSoto PV plant in Arcadia Florida, which was the previous record holder for the largest U.S. solar power plant.

NRG Energy[115] recently bought the 290-megawatt (MW) Agua Caliente solar project[116] in Arizona. The project, scheduled to be completed by 2014, is expected to be the largest operational photovoltaic (PV) site in the world. Agua Caliente will use First Solar thin-film panels. Solar thermal uses mirrors to boil water. It's being used to generate electricity in California, Nevada and elsewhere.

The Obama administration has approved a thousand-megawatt, $6 billion solar project in California[117] on federal land, spread over 7,000 acres. Solar panels, to be competitive without government subsidies, will have to cost $1 per watt says the DOE[118]. It's estimated the solar industry will get to $2 per watt within the next five years[119].

In Germany, the industry boomed after the Renewable Energy Act in 2000[120], which guarantees investors above-market fees for solar power for 20 years from the point of installation. Germany added 7 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in a record-breaking year in 2010 to bring the total to nearly 17 GW, equal to 17 large power plants.

Portland Energy Map.
Portland Energy Map.

Portland's Office of Sustainability has created the Oregon Clean Energy Map showing solar information. The Office of Sustainability sponsors Clean Energy Works Portland, a Solar Energy Program, a Biofuels program and Solarize Portland, a solar panel volume-purchasing program.

Solar, like wind and hydro, is a long term investment with a significant front-end cost. A variety of financing instruments can make it profitable over ten years or so. Solar also enables individuals and businesses to take charge of their own destiny, bringing the grid home.

Wave Power

Wave Power[121] captures the horizontal and vertical movements of tides and waves to generate energy. Wave energy[122] can harness both ocean waves and strong sub-surface currents to generate electricity. One advantage of wave power is that, unlike sunshine or wind, it may have the potential to generate power, 24/7. The United States has committed $200 million in federal funds toward wave energy technology[123] , from 2008 through 2012.

The nation's first commercial wave-energy farm[124], designed by Ocean Power Technologies[125], is now underway off the Oregon coast. Once fully deployed, the $60 million system is expected to have a capacity of 1.5 megawatts[126] — about half that of a single giant wind turbine - though waves should produce power around the clock. Surfpower[127] and Renewable Energy Research have expressed an interest in exploring their options in Oregon[128] , according to Oregon Wave Energy Trust[129] .

Ocean power technologies Wave Energy Plan for Reedsport
Ocean power technologies Wave Energy Plan for Reedsport

Ocean Power Technologies[130] is close to getting a license to build a wave energy plant off the coast of Oregon[131]. The New Jersey-based company has signed a settlement agreement that includes over 11 government agencies, and several private companies, to develop a 150 kW wave energy station[132] . When completed the plant will consist of 10 PowerBuoys that could generate enough electricity to power 1,000 homes annually, according to Ocean Power. A 10-Megawatt OPT power station[133] would occupy approximately 30 acres (0.125 square kilometers) of ocean space.

Ocean-power-technologies Wave Energy Generator for Reedsport
Ocean-power-technologies Wave Energy Generator for Reedsport

The first buoy will measure 150 feet tall by 40 feet wide, weigh 200 tons and cost $4 million. Nine more buoys are planned to deploy near Reedsport, Ore., by 2012, at a total cost of $60 million. Ocean Power Technologies has contracted with Oregon Iron Works[134] to build the buoys. Clusters of buoys would cover a five-mile stretch, north to south, less than three miles from shore.

Ocean Power Technology wave power turbine

Columbia Power Technologies[135] has deployed an intermediate scale prototype near Seattle, controlled remotely from Corvallis. Columbia Power was founded in 2005 by Greenlight Energy Resources, in partnership with Oregon State University. Their design was the first ocean energy device to produce kilowatt scale electrical energy[136] off the Oregon coast. It will generate energy between one and three miles offshore[137].

Grays Harbor Ocean Energy[138] plans an offshore wave energy generation platform in shallow coastal waters 2.8 miles off of the Washington towns of Westport and Ocean Shores in Grays Harbor of Washington state.

Whether or not wave energy facilities should be sited inside the newly proposed marine reserves off the Oregon coast is currently a hotly debated topic[139] . The trick is to tap the benefits of a new industry without spoiling ocean habitats, economic livelihoods and recreational playgrounds[140] . Off shore energy policy[141] is still being worked out. No state agency in the U.S has ever permitted a wave energy project[142].

A wave-power device from another company, Finavera[143] , sank off the Oregon coast two years ago.

Other Oregon wave energy players include Aquamarine[144] , a Scottish company with a technology called The Oyster with an office in Newport, a Scandinavian company, Floating Power Plant, Norway’s Wave Energy A/S[145] in Tillamook looking at a jetty-based device, and a possible Texas-based[146] startup called Neptune Wave Power[147].

Oregon Innovation Council Map
Oregon Innovation Council Map

The Oregon Wave Energy Trust recently matched 20 percent of costs for four companies that won federal grants to develop wave energy projects or technology in Oregon. They include M3 Wave Energy Systems of Salem, Shift Power Solutions of Encinitas, Calif., developing a breakwater that can generate electricity from waves, Northwest Energy Innovations, of Portland, with wave energy partnership with New Zealand-based Industrial Research Limited. Principle Power of Seattle is researching a floating wind turbine that converts wave energy into power at a site near Tillamook.

The Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center[148] is a partnership between OSU and UW. OSU focuses on wave energy. UW focuses on tidal energy[149]. Both universities collaborate with each other and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory[150].


Pacific Energy Ventures[151] (Portland, Oregon) will build a Protocol Framework for identifying, collecting and comparing environmental data relevant to offshore renewable energy projects Oregon Wave Trust[152] is designed to serve as a connector for all stakeholders involved in wave energy project development.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust[153] is a nonprofit public-private partnership funded by the Oregon Innovation Council.

Questions Over Subsidies

The huge Shepherds Flat wind farm raises big questions about state, federal subsidies[154], reported the Oregonian in a three part investigative report, beginning on Mar 13, 2011.

Proposed Shepard's Flat Wind Farm; graphic from BPA.
Proposed Shepard's Flat Wind Farm; graphic from BPA.

According to The Oregonian[155], green energy subsidies has been treated like a state-sponsored ATM machine.

Oregon's green energy tax breaks and subsidies. Source: The Oregonian

The Shepherds Flat wind farm[156] (BPA docs[157]), which may be the world's largest wind farm when it's completed in a couple of years, shows how Oregon provides millions of dollars to projects that would probably go forward without state subsidies, says the Oregonian.

The Department of Energy claims subsidies are essential to kick start home-grown sustainable power while the state of Oregon claims large subsidized projects can create a "hub", attracting many smaller supporting industries that will improve our economic outlook. The U.S. DOE announced a $1.3 billion loan guarantee[158], in Dec, 2010, to support Shepard's Flat.

It's a loan from the DOE, not a subsidy. That's an important difference, and never made clear in the Oregonian stories, advocates of wind power[159] point out.

Similar kinds of incentives were made for SoloPower[160], a solar panel startup. That company was granted a $197 million loan guarantee by the DOE[161]. SoloPower will invest up to $340 million and bring as many as 500 jobs and received a $20 million loan from the State, while Solexant will build a $200 million solar module manufacturing plant in Gresham that could one day employ 1,000, and got a $25 million loan from the State.

Oregon's tax breaks and subsidies. Source: The Oregonian
Oregon's tax breaks and subsidies. Source: The Oregonian

The controversial Business Energy Tax Credit system was overhauled by the Oregon Legislature after it came under fire for the size of the incentives and the management of the program. It lasts until June 2011.

There is no question that the State of Oregon IS helping to fund "green" industries with large tax credits. Opinions differ on the advisability of "green" investments.

It's a bet. Nobody in government, commerce or the news business knows if it will be a good bet.

Energy Financing

Iberdrola Renewables [162] is the world's largest renewable energy firm. The Spanish multinational is based in Valencia, Spain, with a headquarters office in Portland. It's the world's largest owner-operator of wind farms and operates solar, hydro, biomass and wave power businesses. Iberdrola Renovables[163] has 41 wind farms in the United States with an installed capacity of 3,877 megwatts[164], enough to power close to 1 million average U.S. households.

Iberdrola Renewables Map
Iberdrola Renewables Map

Element Power, a developer of large-scale wind and solar projects, oversees nearly 7,800 megawatts of wind energy and more than 1,700 megawatts of solar power. The company’s Portland-based North American headquarters are overseeing the wind projects and solar that are predominately located in the United States. Element Power is owned by Hudson Clean Energy Partners, a N.J.-based private equity fund created in 2007 by the team that ran Goldman Sachs’ clean energy investment group. They turned Houston-based Horizon Wind Energy into the third-largest renewable energy company in the U.S. The company hopes to employ 50 workers with a payroll of up to $8 million.

The Oregon Department of Energy has released information about the 2011 application process for the Business Energy Tax Credit. Applications for the next round of "Tier 1" credits opens Jan 3, 2011. For this category, there is $15 million in tax credits available for projects with an estimated cost of less than $500,000.

SolarCity's financing options let homeowners and businesses in Beaverton, for example, switch to solar power with little or no up-front investment; power is sold directly to the utility.

SolarCity expanded its presence in Oregon, offering a lease program to customers of Portland General Electric and Pacific Power. It virtually eliminate upfront costs, allowing homeowners to get rooftop solar panels for as little as $20 per month. The new rules allow customers who choose to lease their solar systems to receive the residential tax credit (RETC) that was previously only available to customers that purchased solar systems. SolarCity then sells the "green" power directly to power companies. The Oregon DOE has details.

A new report from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) examines feed-in tariffs (FITs). The policy is known for spurring dramatic growth of renewable energy in Europe during the past decade.

Terry Gross explains Cap and Trade, which allows businesses that go over their carbon "budget" to buy "credits" from business who use less then their allowance of "carbon offsets".

Beaverton's 1000 watt array illustrates how to figure your typical power generation, then compare it with your power bill and total solar installation costs. Grape Solar’s kits retail for 25-30K and provide all the power for an average middle-class home. They're out of Eugene. Without subsidies, which can amount to 75% of the cost, solar has a ways to go to reach parity in the home.

The Treasury Grant Program (TGP) for renewable energy projects was passed in mid December 2010. It extends the cash payment of up to 30% of equipment costs in place of the Investment Tax Credit. The grant program was responsible for a large portion of the renewable energy projects built throughout the U.S. in 2010. Originally passed as part of the 2009 stimulus package, it was supposed to expire at the end of December.

The American Wind Energy Association projected a loss of tens of thousands of wind jobs in 2011 without an extension of the TGP while the Solar Energy Industries Association said the grant program spurred over 1,100 solar projects and $18 billion dollars of investment in 2010.


Coal Fired Power in Oregon

Natural Gas in Oregon

Liquified Natural Gas in Oregon

Fuel Cells in Oregon

Nuclear Power

Bio Mass in Oregon

Co-generation in Oregon

Ethanol and Biodiesel in Oregon

Geothermal Power in Oregon

Green Buildings

Electric Cars in Oregon

Energy Storage in Oregon

Inverters and Electronics in Oregon

The Smart Grid in Oregon

Solar Projects in Portland

What Can I Do to support sustainability?

More Information

Energy Trust of Oregon provides cash incentives for customers of PGE, Pacific Power, NW Natural and Cascade Natural Gas. The Oregon Department of Energy has more information on sustainable energy programs.

External Links

References

  1. ↑ Portland City Council Supports Oregon Sustainability Center
  2. ↑ Oregon Sustainability Center
  3. ↑ ODOE: Renewable Energy.
  4. ↑ Oregon's Renewable Resource Programs
  5. ↑ Energy Trust of Oregon
  6. ↑ Wind power in the United States
  7. ↑ Solar Power Is Cheaper Than Nuclear for the First Time
  8. ↑ The U.S. spends about $1 billion a day importing oil, which is now over $100 a barrel
  9. ↑ according to Energy Secretary Steven Chu
  10. ↑ The Dalles Dam
  11. ↑ The Grand Coulee Dam
  12. ↑ The Pacific DC Intertie
  13. ↑ Bonneville's grid
  14. ↑ The main renewable energy industries grew 35% last year
  15. ↑ Clean Energy Trends
  16. ↑ Grid parity
  17. ↑ low-carbon economy
  18. ↑ Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050
  19. ↑ PGE
  20. ↑ hopes to shut down the state's only coal-fired power plant 20 years earlier
  21. ↑ carbon taxes
  22. ↑ The 585-megawatt coal fired plant
  23. ↑ Vestas
  24. ↑ About 4 percent of PGE's energy comes from wind farms
  25. ↑ Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
  26. ↑ Klondike II
  27. ↑ Vansycle Ridge
  28. ↑ Stateline Wind Farm
  29. ↑ along the Columbia River
  30. ↑ Biglow Canyon Wind Farm
  31. ↑ Vestas wind turbines
  32. ↑ The wind farm is located in Wasco County
  33. ↑ [http://djcoregon.com/news/2010/09/08/pge-completes-bigelow-wind-farm/ The $1 billion project was completed in September, 2010
  34. ↑ Vestas
  35. ↑ Here's a video tour
  36. ↑ at Biglow
  37. ↑ Sam Churchill's Flickr photo collection
  38. ↑ Shepherds Flat Wind Farm
  39. ↑ Caithness Energy
  40. ↑ Southern California Edison
  41. ↑ The U.S. Department of Energy finalized a $1.3 billion loan guarantee for the Shepherds Flat wind farm
  42. ↑ Eastern Oregon wind farms, especially the Summit Ridge wind farm in Wasco County, have now been thrown into doubt
  43. ↑ Iberdrola Renewables
  44. ↑ the second largest provider
  45. ↑ an installed capacity of 3,877 megwatts
  46. ↑ Klondike Wind Power
  47. ↑ Bonneville Power Administration
  48. ↑ Sales of small wind turbines
  49. ↑ American Wind Energy Association
  50. ↑ Xzeres
  51. ↑ Oregon Wind's small vertical Helyx
  52. ↑ As of November 2010
  53. ↑ Roscoe Wind Farm
  54. ↑ Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center
  55. ↑ Alta Wind Energy Center
  56. ↑ Gansu Wind Farm
  57. ↑ grew 67 percent to $6 billion in 2010
  58. ↑ Solar Energy Industries Association
  59. ↑ Crystalline silicon panels
  60. ↑ SolarWorld in Hillsboro, Oregon
  61. ↑ 90% of the industry today
  62. ↑ Monocrystalline silicon
  63. ↑ Crystalline silicon
  64. ↑ Cadmium Telluride
  65. ↑ Copper Indium Gallium Selenide
  66. ↑ Thin-film technology has proved challenging to commercialize
  67. ↑ Cadmium telluride
  68. ↑ CIGS
  69. ↑ Cadmium telluride panel
  70. ↑ Solexant
  71. ↑ SoloPower
  72. ↑ is said to be eyeing Wilsonville for a manufacturing plant
  73. ↑ represent a huge shift in energy economics
  74. ↑ SolarWorld
  75. ↑ its 210,000-square-foot addition
  76. ↑ SolarWorld will collaborate develop a 11.6-megawatt solar system
  77. ↑ SANYO Solar
  78. ↑ opened a monocrystalline growing facility in Salem, Ore
  79. ↑ Cadmium Telluride developer Solexant
  80. ↑ plans to build a $200 million solar manufacturing plant in Gresham
  81. ↑ Solexant's facility in Oregon
  82. ↑ CdTe
  83. ↑ the largest nanotechnology manufacturing facility in the world
  84. ↑ reports Oregon Live
  85. ↑ CIGs developer SoloPower
  86. ↑ building a manufacturing plant in Wilsonville
  87. ↑ could employ 500 people within five years
  88. ↑ tough but flexible solar panels
  89. ↑ expansion plans call for three more manufacturing lines
  90. ↑ Grape Solar
  91. ↑ it just imports low-cost solar panels from China and re-sells them here
  92. ↑ Advanced Energy Systems
  93. ↑ The nation’s first Solar Highway project
  94. ↑ PGE’s “Oregon Solar Highway”
  95. ↑ Solar Energy Grid Integration Systems
  96. ↑ The SuNRISE lab contains $1 million of state-of-the-art equipment to analyze solar cells
  97. ↑ Solar is cheaper than nuclear energy
  98. ↑ Duke University
  99. ↑ around 13.6 GW of PV will be installed this year
  100. ↑ Microinverters
  101. ↑ Enphase
  102. ↑ online monitoring of your installation
  103. ↑ a 4.81 kW solar array in Portland
  104. ↑ PV Powered
  105. ↑ 260kW, 97% efficient
  106. ↑ Teanaway Solar Reserve
  107. ↑ a 75-megawatt plant made up of 400,000 photovoltaic panels
  108. ↑ 4 miles North of Cle Elum, Washington
  109. ↑ National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  110. ↑ According to three industry experts
  111. ↑ But Oregon didn’t make the list
  112. ↑ The largest solar power installation in the world
  113. ↑ 48-MW Copper Mountain Solar Facility in Nevada
  114. ↑ Copper Mountain Solar Facility
  115. ↑ NRG Energy
  116. ↑ Agua Caliente solar project
  117. ↑ approved a thousand-megawatt, $6 billion solar project in California
  118. ↑ will have to cost $1 per watt says the DOE
  119. ↑ will get to $2 per watt within the next five years
  120. ↑ In Germany, the industry boomed after the Renewable Energy Act in 2000
  121. ↑ Wave Power
  122. ↑ Wave energy
  123. ↑ committed $200 million in federal funds toward wave energy technology
  124. ↑ The nation's first commercial wave-energy farm
  125. ↑ Ocean Power Technologies
  126. ↑ to have a capacity of 1.5 megawatts
  127. ↑ Surfpower
  128. ↑ an interest in exploring their options in Oregon
  129. ↑ Oregon Wave Energy Trust
  130. ↑ Ocean Power Technologies
  131. ↑ close to getting a license to build a wave energy plant off the coast of Oregon
  132. ↑ a 150 kW wave energy station
  133. ↑ A 10-Megawatt OPT power station
  134. ↑ Ocean Power Technologies has contracted with Oregon Iron Works
  135. ↑ Columbia Power Technologies
  136. ↑ the first ocean energy device to produce kilowatt scale electrical energy
  137. ↑ between one and three miles offshore
  138. ↑ Grays Harbor Ocean Energy
  139. ↑ is currently a hotly debated topic
  140. ↑ The trick is to tap the benefits of a new industry without spoiling ocean habitats, economic livelihoods and recreational playgrounds
  141. ↑ Off shore energy policy
  142. ↑ No state agency in the U.S has ever permitted a wave energy project
  143. ↑ Finavera
  144. ↑ Aquamarine
  145. ↑ Wave Energy A/S
  146. ↑ a possible Texas-based
  147. ↑ Neptune Wave Power
  148. ↑ Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center
  149. ↑ tidal energy
  150. ↑ National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  151. ↑ Pacific Energy Ventures
  152. ↑ Oregon Wave Trust
  153. ↑ Oregon Wave Energy Trust
  154. ↑ the huge Shepherds Flat wind farm raises big questions about state, federal subsidies
  155. ↑ The Oregonian on Wind Subsidies
  156. ↑ Shepherds Flat wind farm
  157. ↑ BPA docs
  158. ↑ The U.S. DOE announced a $1.3 billion loan guarantee
  159. ↑ advocates of wind power
  160. ↑ SoloPower
  161. ↑ a $197 million loan guarantee by the DOE
  162. ↑ Iberdrola Renewables
  163. ↑ [1]
  164. ↑ an installed capacity of 3,877 megwatts
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