By Region
The Olympian: Clean energy groups protest Centralia TransAlta coal plant
A campaign by clean energy groups (including the NW Energy Coalition) to shut down the Centralia coal-fired power plant by 2015 staged five events statewide Tuesday…
Economic boost awaits transmission upgrades in Idaho
From the Times-News comes this article about how Idaho and other western states may need to invest millions of dollars in transmission lines to continue producing and selling renewable energy.
Oregon's Bill Bradbury appointed to Northwest Power and Conservation Council
Former Oregon Secretary of State Bill Bradbury has been appointed by Governor Kulongoski to the position being vacated by Melinda Eden on the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
You can read the full story online at The Oregonian.
Seattle City Light's new video contest targets "Energy Vampires"
Halloween is just around the corner and Seattle City Light is holding a “Slay Your Energy Vampires” video contest to celebrate…
Isolated green buildings won't save the planet
From CNN: Architect Joshua Prince Ramus talks about how new buildings should be energy efficient but that alone won’t save environment.
US energy use is dropping and shifting to renewables
A new report shows that the US energy economy has shifted away from coal over the last year at a pace faster than the declining economy would predict.
The Transformer – August 18, 2010
How green is my electron? Overcoming the smart grid’s color blindness
Energy journals and, increasingly, the popular media now teem with updates and predictions on developing “smart grid” technologies … how they will help smooth power demand, greatly improve efficiency and outage/service response, and reward consumers with lower bills.
This issue of The Transformer tackles the question of why the smart grid isn’t necessarily a green grid and, in fact, could actually foster greater demand for power from coal-fueled or nuclear baseload plants. It also presents one proposed means of dealing with the problem: buying green electrons…
Editorial: Columbia River salmon: The fishermen's plan is starting to work
Bob Rees of the Northwest Guides and Anglers Association has an editorial in The Oregonian today on how changes to the dam system recommended by scientists and fishermen are bringing back wild salmon. But we still have farther to go.
Real-time NW wind display courtesy of BPA
The public can now view a new online display of wind and other data the Bonneville Power Administration uses to monitor weather conditions that drive the growing amount of wind energy generated in the Northwest.
Portland getting solarized
Several companies have been working with the Energy Trust of Oregon and the city of Portland to solarize the city. The project goes from neighborhood to neighborhood, with hundreds of customers signing for installation of photovoltaic cells. So Portland is experiencing a huge penetration of solar power at very reasonable costs thanks to economies of scale…
Avista reaches settlement with stakeholders in latest rate case
Spokane-based Avista Corp., which provides electric and natural gas service to much of northern Idaho, has joined the staff of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (PUC) in asking the Commission to approve a rate case settlement agreement that could mean higher rates – though not as high as the utility first sought.
More woes for MSTI transmission line
NorthWestern Energy’s application to construct the Mountain States Transmission Intertie has encountered another in a long line of difficulties.