A UTILITY THAT WANTS NEW ENERGY

Utility Puts Priority On Renewable Energy Projects
Angela Benewal, 16 March 2012 (Renew Grid)

"…[ Puget Sound Energy (PSE) has found that many of its customers have] turned wind into an economic opportunity…PSE is no stranger to developing wind farms…

"…[The 343 megawatt] Lower Snake River wind project is the utility's third project. PSE also developed the Wild Horse Wind and Solar facility, a 149 turbine, 273 MW project in Kittitas County that also features 2,723 photovoltaic solar panels…The utility's 87-turbine, 156 MW Hopkins Ridge wind project is located in Columbia County near the Lower Snake project. In addition to wind and solar, PSE obtains about one-third of its power from hydro…"

Washington state could get more than half its electricity from wind (click to enlarge)

"While it is not out of the ordinary for a utility to develop renewable energy projects, PSE has been in the game since the mid-2000s. Fulfilling Washington state's 15% by 2020 renewable portfolio standard (RPS) is the reason the utility chose to develop. When deciding whether to purchase the renewable energy or build a project, the determining factor came down to economics…

"When the Lower Snake River project begins producing power, PSE will have more than 9% renewable energy. This figure does not include hydro because that resource does not count under the state's RPS…PSE has leases for quite a bit of land in the vicinity of the Lower Snake River project and plans to build a second phase in the future…"