As waters ebb, wind farms return to full output

By Tim Fought, Associated Press
The Columbian

PORTLAND — A big spring rise in the Columbia River basin has finally washed out to sea, meaning that turbines in the region’s wind farms are back at full output.

While the basin was awash in runoff from heavy mountain snows and a cold, late spring, generators at dams in the region were producing electricity at full tilt.

At night and on weekends, when demand was low, the Bonneville Power Administration ordered wind farms to shut down, saying there was more electricity than the region needed or could export. Read More