The Northwest’s Clean Energy Future
No - this is not an April fool's joke. The Northwest is closer to being coal-free and running on efficient renewables than you might have thought.
The Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC), the region’s official power planning agency, recently finalized the Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan, which charts an exciting new course for the region. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council says the region can meet all new electricity needs over the next 20 years with energy efficiency and renewables, building almost no new fossil-fueled generating plants. Does that phrase "almost no" scare us - well yes, but this is pretty significant.
When we first posted on this story, the plan described how the region encompassing Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana could cost-effectively shut down at least half its coal plants (including coal plants outside the region that supply these states with electricity) by the year 2020.
A victory we called it running this quote from WattHead: "It’s a victory because a third-party government body has now clearly shown that a transition away from coal is possible. It’s a victory because it has shown climate activists in the Northwest the power we can have when we get organized. Now let’s take this victory and run with it.”
So what does this plan entail? Well, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council recently released the Transformer, the first in a 2-part series presenting the Council’s final recommendations and its conclusion that cheap energy efficiency can and should meet most of the region’s new power needs. Part II will compare the findings of the Sixth Northwest Power and Conservation Plan to the NW Energy Coalition’s Bright Future analysis. We'll bring you that when it's released.
After the jump you will find what we consider one of the most significant findings from the plan, one that will create 47,000 new jobs for the region. Read Part I, the Transformer, in its entirety HERE.
The Council foresees region-wide population rising about 1.2% a year through 2030, plus new and bigger TVs and other electronics and expanded air conditioning use pushing up per-person use 0.2% per year. As a result, the region will need another 7,000 average megawatts (aMW) of electricity – fully one-third of total current use. The plan calls for meeting 85% of those growing power needs by using less of it … by switching to more efficient lights, appliances, motors, computers, heat pumps, etc. The Council estimates that acquiring the energy efficiency in the plan will create 47,000 new jobs for the region.
