Tagged: Energy

The U.S Energy Information Administration studied the amount of carbon dioxide that was pumped into the atmosphere between 2000-2010. Idaho contributes a low amount, respectively, compared to other states. Only California, Vermont, New York and Washington D.C. have smaller carbon footprints per capita.

But Ben Otto at the Idaho Conservation League says this report doesn’t show the full picture.

You may have seen wind turbines springing up all over the Pacific Northwest in the past decade. So far this year, the region’s wind industry has faced a different story. 

Not a single new wind farms is under construction in the Pacific Northwest. It’s been that way since 2013 began. Compare that to last year’s boom, which increased wind capacity in the region by about 20 percent.

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced in a letter Friday he will step down from his position at the end of this month. 

In his time as U.S. Energy Secretary, Chu pushed for growth in renewable energy and clean tech innovation.

Chu led the department during President Barack Obama’s stimulus package. The department divvied up about $3.5 billion in the Pacific Northwest.

Much of the money went to projects that helped develop energy efficiency and smart grid technologies.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Idaho Power must honor its obligation to purchase energy from wind farms. But it stopped short of taking enforceable action while the Idaho Public Utilities Commission decides how to rule on the case.

Gene Fadness is a spokesman with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. “This order comes even before we’ve made a decision," explains Fadness. "The wind developers wanted something before a commission order hoping that that would perhaps sway the commission in their deliberations.”

Ada County Commissioner Dave Case grilled executives from Dynamis Energy Friday morning.  The Eagle-based company wants to build a plant at the Ada County landfill that would turn trash and tires into electricity.  Case, though, failed in his attempt to bring an end to the county’s contract with Dynamis.

Ada County Commissioners want answers  from the CEO of a company that plans to create energy from garbage.  A citizens group has accused the County and Dynamis Energy of fraud.  Commissioners have called a meeting on the project for Friday morning. 

Eagle-based Dynamis Energy plans to convert garbage to electricity at the Ada County Landfill.  County Commissioners gave the go ahead for the project about two years ago. They also provided the company with $2 million for design work, but the project is now behind schedule. 

Gov. John Kitzhaber said Thursday that power customers could play a bigger role in the state's clean energy future. He spoke at the Northwest Smart Grid Summit in Portland.

The governor says a smarter power grid can help Oregon reach his 10-year goals for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Northwest residents say they want more clean energy and less of their electricity from fossil fuels.

Renewable energy has been praised for its ability to provide power without releasing carbon emissions into the air. Wind, solar, biomass and geothermal are currently in use in the Northwest. But so is coal, natural gas and nuclear.

“I’m concerned about what we’re leaving for our future generations," says Boise resident Alex Feldman. "And I guess I don’t want to go down in history as the generation that sort of screwed it up.”