Energy Northwest: Paving the way for Washington’s clean energy future

Washington state took steps down a path to become a greener, cleaner state last May when Gov. Jay Inslee signed the Clean Energy Transformation Act into law. CETA requires a phase-out of coal generation by 2025; greenhouse gas neutral generation by 2030; and 100% carbon-free electricity generation by 2045.

These are aggressive but achievable goals due to the fortunate fact that we live and work in a state with one of the cleanest, low-cost energy portfolios in the country. As a not-for-profit joint operating agency, Energy Northwest is uniquely positioned to play a major role in helping our state meet these goals.

Our mission remains the same: Provide our public power members and regional customers with safe, reliable, cost-effective, responsible power generation and energy solutions. We commissioned a study last fall to identify the optimal clean-energy solutions to meet our region’s future electricity and capacity needs.

Energy + Environmental Economics (E3), a San Francisco-based consulting group, conducted the study and found the best energy picture for the future is a combination of current and new renewable and clean resources.

E3’s study examined the value of creating additional solar and wind facilities, battery storage, as well as extending operation of Columbia Generating Station nuclear facility beyond its current license date of 2043. The study also explored whether Washington’s expanding population and growing energy needs can be met in part by new innovations, such as small modular nuclear reactors, a technology that provides an ideal mix of reliability, capacity and seamless integration with renewables.

Completing the study was the first step in a comprehensive, multi-year process to evaluate all carbon-free options that maintain reliability and ensure the region has adequate power to meet future electric demand. We’re working this year to gather data and evaluate the feasibility of new nuclear in our region to meet CETA’s targets. Decisions to invest in new resources will take time and will only be done in the best interest of our member utilities, the people of Washington and, of course, the environment.

As we look forward to a greater role for our agency in the region’s future, we continue to operate our portfolio of carbon-free energy generating facilities: Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project, Columbia Generating Station, Nine Canyon Wind Project and White Bluffs Solar Station.

Construction is underway on our newest generation project – the Horn Rapids Solar Storage & Training facility, which will be Washington state’s first utility-scale solar and battery storage facility. The project is on schedule to be complete this summer and will comprise a 4-megawatt direct current, 20-acre solar generating array of photovoltaic panels that will provide energy to power 600 Richland homes, combined with a 1-megawatt battery storage system that can provide energy to 150 homes for four hours. Solar and battery storage, when paired together, offer flexibility and more reliability.

Once it’s complete, the City of Richland will purchase the power and utilize the storage for their customers. Adjacent to the project, a training program will be held for solar and battery storage technicians.

From our early beginnings in public power to our role in the future, our goal is simple: provide carbon-free electricity to make life better for the community.

This story was originally published April 23, 2020 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Energy Northwest: Paving the way for Washington’s clean energy future."