Equity & Affordability
How utilities can help customers, communities cope with COVID-19
On behalf of the NW Energy Coalition staff and board, we hope you are staying safe in the midst of the national public health emergency around coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition to the physical well-being concerns that COVID-19 is raising, we are also aware of the enormous economic effects that this crisis will have on many…
Fall 2019 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference Digest
Energy leaders discuss challenges and opportunities as the Northwest transitions to a clean energy system On December 2, the NW Energy Coalition hosted its Fall 2019 Clean & Affordable Energy Conference on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle. Conference guests participated in discussions and presentations exploring the region’s upcoming transition to an…
PGE’s Smart Grid Test Bed pioneers customer-side resources
Achieving a low-carbon or no-carbon energy system isn’t just a matter of switching our sources of electricity from coal-fired and natural gas-fired power plants to wind and solar power. It’s also about embracing more energy efficient houses, buildings, and appliances that reduce our need for electricity. And it’s about engaging new resources, many of them…
NW solar industry lags in workforce diversity
New report suggests how employers, governments, and labor can collaborate to match employer needs with qualified candidates of color A new Solar Foundation report that was supported by the NW Energy Coalition finds that only about one in ten solar industry jobs in Washington and Oregon is held by a person of color. For management…
Washington’s groundbreaking climate package examined
8 bills that transform Washington’s energy system Click here to download the NWEC 2019 Washington State Legislative Digest for energy-related bills Click here to download the NWEC digest for E2SSB 5116, the Washington Clean Energy Transformation Bill, better known as the 100% Clean Electricity bill. Click here to download the NWEC digest for HB 1257,…
Please join us in celebrating!
(Nancy is traveling, but she asked me to send the following message on her behalf. S.O’L.) Hi, After a long time and a great deal of effort, just now, the Washington legislature passed the third bill in the trio of NW Energy Coalition priorities for this session – the 100% Clean Electricity (SB 5116) bill, which assures that over…
Clean energy on a roll in Washington legislature
Buildings and Appliance bills pass WA Senate Climate bills on a winning streak in Olympia The Washington legislature is well on its way to passing an unprecedented body of climate legislation that will, when fully enacted, address nearly every major source of climate pollution, including the electric system, the transportation sector, buildings, and appliances. At…
WA House passes 100% Clean Electricity
Today, SB 5116, the 100% Clean Electricity bill, passed the Washington House of Representatives by a vote of 56-42.The bill will now go back to the Senate, which has already passed a slightly different version, for concurrence. When finally enacted, SB 5116 will put Washington’s electric system on a path to become free of carbon…
Double Squeeze: Arctic Express, system constraints skyrocket NW wholesale energy prices
More clean energy solutions, less reliance on gas needed to meet peak energy needs When discussing electric system affordability and reliability, natural gas is often portrayed as a guarantor of both. But, since the beginning of February, when Northwest temperatures dropped to near record lows, wholesale natural gas prices skyrocketed, causing serious disruption for gas-fired…
DOE attacks efficiency standards and hundreds of millions of dollars in savings
Within hours of Trump administration appointee Daniel Simmons taking over the the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Department of Energy renewed efforts to block or roll back energy efficiency standards that save consumers hundreds of millions of dollars annually. It’s part of an ongoing campaign that began in 2018 when the administration…