Renewable Energy
Great Falls Tribune: Wind at Spion Kop wind farm 'phenomenal'
Wind at NorthWestern Energy’s new 40-megawatt wind farm, called Spion Kop, is “phenomenal,” said John Hines, the regulated utility’s vice president of supply.
Officials with NorthWestern, turbine manufacturer General Electric, developer CompassEnergies and Judith Basin County gathered near a substation to celebrate the completion of the wind farm, which has been operating since December. It’s located 50 miles east of Great Falls.
Read the full article online at the Great Falls Tribune
Read MoreThe Spokesman-Review Guest Opinion: Clean energy incentives keep spurring growth
Seven years ago, Washington voters made the smart choice to invest in the state by supporting renewable energy. Washington voters passed Initiative 937, which created a clean energy standard. The law requires the state’s large electric utilities to incrementally increase their electricity from new renewable resources to 15 percent by 2020. This choice has paid off.
But, there are those in the Legislature who would dismiss this success by weakening the voter-backed initiative in a way that removes smart incentives for companies to invest in renewable energy…
Read the full opinion online at The Spokesman-Review
Read MoreBusinesses urge Wash. Governor Inslee to extend renewable sales and use tax exemption
Thirteen renewable energy companies and advocacy groups issued a letter to Washington Governor Jay Inslee today urging support of Senate Bill 5896. If passed, the bill would extend the renewable sales and use tax exemption, which has provided a tangible incentive for clean energy businesses to locate their projects in the state. The policy will otherwise expire in June.
Read MoreRon Simms on I-937: People power means clean power for the people of Washington state
Washington voters in 2006 approved the state’s clean-energy law, Initiative 937, setting new standards for energy efficiency and use of renewable energy. It was a vote for clean energy, new economic investment and a brighter future.
If you’re following the state legislative session, you might think voters were mistaken. Our legislators introduced more than 20 bills to amend or gut the law this year alone. But while some legislators seem to think I-937 is bad for Washington, I’m with the governor in recognizing that it’s good for the economy, good for consumers and good for the environment…
Read MorePower plan assessment shows energy efficiency on track to meet regional goal
An assessment by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council shows that the efficiency of electricity use continues to improve and that the region is on track to meet the Council’s goal to improve efficiency. Meanwhile, development of renewable resources, mainly wind power, has continued but the pace may slow in the future.
Read MoreTake action to stop the Senate from Weakening I-937
Over the past month many of you have contacted your legislators in Olympia expressing concerns about bills that would weaken Initiative 937, our Clean Energy Initiative. You helped stop more than a dozen bad I-937 bills. However, there are still several bills that would seriously reduce our state’s development of new clean and renewable energy. …
Read MoreNews Tribune: State Senate moving backward on 3 fronts, says Inslee
Wash. Gov. Jay Inslee waded into the legislative fray Wednesday with his most pointed comments so far in state lawmakers’ 25-day-old session, taking aim squarely at ideas put forward by the Republican-dominated Senate majority.
“I’m very concerned that the Senate already has gone backwards on two areas,” the Democratic governor said, citing workers’ compensation and clean energy…
Read more online at The News Tribune
Read MoreCelebrating Washington's Clean Energy Success
Voters passed Initiative 937 in 2006 to build on Washington’s clean energy heritage. At the time, new renewable energy made up less than 1% of the region’s electricity mix, even though new renewables would reduce risks and boost our economy. Six years after its passage, I-937 is doing exactly what Washington voters wanted. Official utility…
Read MorePuget Sound Energy’s latest wind-power project, the Lower Snake River Wind Facility
PSE’s newest and largest wind-power operation is the Lower Snake River Wind Facility. Located in Southeast Washington near Pomeroy, Garfield County, this energy project builds on the success of our Hopkins Ridge Wind Facility in adjacent Columbia County, and our Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility in Kittitas County. Completed in early 2012, the Lower Snake River project contains 149 wind turbines that produce up to 343 megawatts of renewable energy. On average, the facility generates enough electricity to power 100,000 homes
Read MoreCoalition-presented energy efficiency and renewable energy events highlight where we are and where we’re going
Dec. 4, 2012, was a busy day for Seattle-area clean energy advocates. In two packed events co-hosted by the NW Energy Coalition, community members came together to delve deeply into critical energy efficiency and new clean renewable energy topics.
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