Washington State a leader in new energy sources
WASHINGTON – The Evergreen State is getting greener.
When it comes to developing renewable energy sources, Washington is among the fastest growing states in the U.S. It ranks No. 3 this year, trailing only North Dakota and Montana, according to the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Most of the growth comes from the major wind farms springing up along the Columbia River Gorge, in Kittitas County surrounding Ellensburg and in eastern Washington near the Tri-Cities and Walla Walla.
But the state’s utilities are also looking at tidal, wave, solar, geothermal and biomass as they try to figure out how to meet the requirements of a voter-approved initiative requiring 15 percent of their power be green by 2020.
State agencies are working on developing regulations as the state’s utilities scout out potential renewable energy sources.
Even so, the utilities have a long way to go. And just as they are getting started, the cost of constructing a wind farm has, by some estimates, tripled over the past five years. That is due to everything from a two-year waiting list for the turbines to a shortage of copper and steel because of competition from India and China. The weakening of the dollar overseas hasn’t helped either.
“There is a shortage of just about anything to do with wind power,” said Jeff King, a senior resources analyst with the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. “If the cost of power was the only factor, there would be a rapid loss of interest in wind power. But with the resource portfolio standards and concerns about greenhouse gases, it is still in demand.”
King said there are plans for wind farms capable of producing a total of more than 9,000 megawatts of electricity in the region, enough to power about 900,000 homes. But realistically, King said, only about two-thirds will actually be built.
The Energy Department reported a 34 percent increase in renewable energy sources in Washington state during the first six months of this year. Oregon ranked sixth among all states with nearly a 21 percent increase in renewable resources.
“I’m not surprised,” said Dave Danner, executive director of the Washington state Utilities and Transportation Commission, which regulates the state’s privately owned utilities. “Historically, we’ve been in the forefront. But we have a long ways to go.”
Continue reading this article from the Tacoma News Tribune:
State a leader in new energy sources
