Our region has long been an energy production hub. Bonneville Dam, for example, can generate more than 1,000 megawatts of hydroelectric power. Clark Public Utilities’ River Road plant generates 248 megawatts of electricity from natural gas. Our state has installed capacity of more than 3,000 megawatts from wind energy.
This relative abundance of energy is one of the factors that makes the Pacific Northwest arguably the best place in the world to live and work. But it will take careful planning to keep our energy production ahead of our needs.
There is much more room to grow our energy production without destroying our air, land and water, as evidenced by a recent report on solar power released by the group Environment Washington. In fact, the Seattle-based environmental advocacy group estimates Washington has the solar capacity to produce 21 times more electricity than it uses every year. Of course, there is another side: Credit rating agency Fitch warns in a recent report that rampant adoption of rooftop solar could lead to downgrades in utility stocks and credit ratings due to diminished business.
Sure, it’s cloudy in Southwest Washington, especially in the winter, when daylight is in short supply. But generation equipment is becoming more efficient and less expensive per kilowatt. That’s partly why when a community solar incentive program was offered through Clark Public Utilities, so many homeowners joined up that it quickly became oversubscribed.
Power generation is a local job creator too. The federal Bonneville Power Administration has long operated its Ross Complex at the south end of Hazel Dell. In the private sector, companies include SunModo, which makes racks and mounts for solar panels.
At the Port of Vancouver this year, General Electric, Vestas and Siemens have shipped or are shipping parts bound for wind farms in Illinois, North Dakota and Eastern Oregon, creating jobs for longshore workers and stevedores. The port itself earns an average of $1.9 million per year on wind turbine imports.
But not every source of energy is desirable. Across the Columbia River from Kalama, Portland General Electric decommissioned its Trojan Nuclear Plant in 1993 after tiny cracks were found in some of its plumbing. The TransAlta power plant near Chehalis, the state’s top air polluter, is due to shut down its two coal-fired generators by 2025.
In Vancouver, a partnership between Tesoro Corp. and Savage Cos. touts the estimated 176 local jobs that its proposed Vancouver Energy oil transfer terminal would bring. Those workers would handle four oil trains per day, unloading the rail cars, storing the crude oil in large tanks, and loading it onto ocean-going ships and barges. A June 3 oil train derailment in Mosier, Ore., showed the dangers inherit in that line of business.
That’s why when we look to the future, we need to consider both the cost and the benefits of energy production. We need to balance jobs and economy with environment and cost. Incentives must be carefully targeted, and watchful government needs to be sure that facilities meet health, safety and environmental standards.
With the right mix of incentives and protection, we can generate enough clean energy to keep our economy and our environment strong in the decades to come.
