Providing balanced information for using water as a renewable energy resource in the Northwest
By: Marc Stergionis Great Falls Tribune There’s been a flood of documents washing into the Public Service Commission over NorthWestern Energy’s agreement to purchase PPL Montana’s 11 electricity-producing dams. Some of those documents — recent consultant and agency analyses…
Associated Press The U.S. Energy Department named a new administrator Monday to run the Bonneville Power Administration after a hiring scandal rocked the federal utility that sells and transmits much of the Northwest’s cheap and abundant hydroelectric power….
Associated Press The Oregonian The United States has staked out its position for potential negotiations with Canada over a treaty governing hydropower and flood control on the Columbia River and seeks to keep more of the energy produced…
By Andre Stepankowsky The Daily News The federal agency that sells and transmits most electrical power in the Northwest has proposed a plan to cover half of wind producers’ lost revenue when they’re forced to shut down wind…
By BPA News Release Portland, Ore. – The Bonneville Power Administration today proposed compensating wind energy producers within its section of the grid for periodically reducing their output when necessary to keep the electricity supply from exceeding demand…
By Becky Kramer Spokesman Review One of the conundrums of wind energy is that the wind doesn’t blow constantly. In the Northwest, most wind farms operate at about 30 percent capacity, which means backup electrical generation is needed….
By Associated Press The Wenatchee World PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal regulators on Wednesday ruled in favor of Northwest wind power generators who objected to being ordered to shut down at times this spring when the Columbia River…
By Becky Kramer Spokesman Review Lake Pend Oreille’s water levels will fluctuate by as much as 5 feet this winter, allowing federal agencies more flexibility in managing electricity generation throughout the Columbia River hydropower system. The Bonneville Power…
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…
By Scott Learn The Oregonian Federal Judge James A. Redden’s potential swan song hearing on the Northwest’s highest-profile salmon case Monday was short but not particularly sweet. Redden, 82, has presided over the U.S. District Court case since…