Washington State voters get shot at energy choice & costs

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Using greenhouse gas emissions data estimated by McKinsey & Company - a well-regarded think tank - the manufacture of Lithium energy storage batteries puts out about 240 pounds of Carbon dioxide equivalent (greenhouse gas) per one KWH of electric energy storage, [ The race to decarbonize electric-vehicle batteries | McKinsey].  Nearly One hundred percent of the lithium batteries manufactured globally are done so in China, and China generates much of its electricity from coal.

If a lithium battery meets peak electricity demands for 40 hours each year and does so during its 20-year life; then each KWH the battery delivers during peak demand causes in essence 9 pounds of greenhouse gas per therm equivalent (there are 29.3 KWH of energy in a therm).

In the table above, I compare the greenhouse emissions of using electric energy storage batteries (9) against the greenhouse emissions of using natural gas in a 90% efficient home heating furnace (12), and the greenhouse emissions of using natural gas to generate electricity in a natural gas peak power plant (35, based on 33% efficiency of the peaking power gas plant).

The reason I bring this up is that PGE is asking for a 7% rate increase starting next year, and a big chunk of this proposed increase is to build two electric energy storage battery complexes.  These two battery projects have a capital cost of as much as ten times as a standby diesel generator or a peaking natural gas power plant.  It seems like PGE rate payers are paying a steep price to avoid a relatively modest amount of greenhouse gases.

You really have to question Oregon's Net Zero plan in which an operating Oregon coal power plant (the Boardman Coal Plant) is closed in favor of having the coal that would go to this plant shipped to China instead and used to make power for making very expensive electric energy storage batteries - these batteries then shipped back to Oregon.  In essence, Oregon by closing its lone operative coal plant is hiding greenhouse emissions by exporting them to another part of the globe, but at the same time, Oregonians in PGE's service areas (which includes Milwaukie) end paying much more for electricity.

(posted by Elvis Clark on July 18, 2024)

The Above table is prepared by the Pacific Northwest Utilities Conference Committee (PNUCC), of which our local electric utility (PGE) and most other Northwest electric utilities provide forecast inputs - forecast inputs such as (1) their total electricity demand and (2) their electric energy generating supplies.  What really sticks out is the Surplus (Deficit) line in orangish highlight.  Within the next three years, if there should be a low water flow year on the Columbia River severely limiting Columbia River Hydro-electric supplies, the Pacific Northwest will have an estimated electric energy shortage of 4,000 to 5,000 average Megawatts (around-the-clock, all seasons).  4,000 to 5,000 average megawatts would be about 15 to 20% of forecasted electricity demand for the Pacific Northwest.

Net Zero mandates, such as those in Oregon, are sharply raising the risk of electricity black outs, and consequently electricity utility bill cost spikes, within the next few years to a decade - blackouts hitting all parts of the Northwest including Oregon.  If you look closely, Because of Net Zero and other green energy mandates, Coal power supplies are being shuttered and natural gas power supplies are being frozen in place, not allowed to increase to meet demand.

Solar and wind and battery storage are supposed to close this deficit gap, but PNUCC goes on to show that only about a fifth of the forecasted electricity deficit can be closed by the solar and wind projects currently planned by Northwest Utilities.  Solar and wind are also weather dependent, meaning they need a lot of backup battery storage - and the battery storage isn't being built anywhere near fast enough to meet demand.

Net Zero mandates like those of the state Oregon are devised by politicians lacking professional expertise in energy economics and physics, and it appears that these potentially disastrous mandates are built mostly on fantasy - fantasy sold to an unsuspecting electorate - an electorate too trusting in politicians touting "unicorn" like plans.

What is really ironic, too, is that the solar panels and wind turbines are being manufactured largely with coal power supplies in China - even the renewables have embedded greenhouse gas emissions in their manufacture.  All that states like Oregon are doing is exporting greenhouse emissions to other nations while pretending that they are being environmentally pure.

Why is electricity demand in the Northwest growing so fast?  Partly, because Big Tech giants are building electric energy intensive data centers in the Northwest, where electricity is still cheaper than in the state of California where electricity is sky high in cost.  Moreover, the tax subsidized all electric vehicles are powered by electricity off the grid and not gasoline as with conventional vehicles.

(posted by Elvis Clark on May 9, 2024)

The Above table shows the extra cost that Portland General Electric, Milwaukie's electric utility, pays in order to claim that its power supply is more than 20% clean and renewable.  Portland General (PGE) is able to buy what are called Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from sellers of such credits, and these credits are suppose to be offsets to PGE's actual fossil fuel generating power plant carbon dioxide emissions.

But in reality, a big portion of these Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) are not actually useful renewable energy output, but just low value solar and wind plant power supplies.  So, RECs are by and large an illusionary way for electric utilities like PGE to say that they are meeting Oregon's clean energy mandates.

Solar and wind farms are already being heavily subsidized by taxpayers and electric utility rate payers but when PGE's also buys RECs the cost to electric rate payers is an additional 3% higher just for PGE to say it is in compliance with Oregon's clean energy mandates.

But here is an example of why most RECs are just phantom carbon emission savers.  If the wind is say blowing and the wind turbines in the area are cranking out lots of electricity, this electricity supply comes all at once and is sold at a very low price, reflecting little value for the electricity the wind turbines are producing.  But these wind turbines can sell RECs for each unit of power they are selling in such a wind surge. 

Electric utilities like PGE can buy up all of these cheap RECS generated by a surge in the wind output for a relatively brief period when the wind is blowing.

Yet these the electric utilities still have to use lots of carbon emitting fossil fuel power supplies most other times of the year.  But the momentary surge in Wind generation is said to offset a chunk of the fossil fuel power supplies in the other parts of the year.

(posted by Elvis Clark on March 7, 2024)

Oregon is not only a dumpster fire on Education (See 'More' and then 'School Choice News').  It also is dumpster fire on energy.  Oregon's government forces PGE electric utility to transition in just the next decade or so to net zero - which is little to no carbon dioxide emissions.  

Who is paying for this forced transition to Clean Energy?  Electric Utility Customers and Oregon and Federal taxpayers.  That's Who.  

And what is the societal benefit of this forced transition?  Who the heck knows with any modicum of certainty.  Climate is a black box; and only with a lot of brainwashing, do people get to a point of believing that Clean Energy (that is, wind and solar and caustic storage batteries) has a certain net benefit to society benefit.

Oregon already has the 8th highest cost of living among the 50 U.S states based on the U.S Bureau of Economics Analysis data.  To push a spike in electricity costs is only going help keep Oregonians down and relatively poor among the 50 states.  Dumpster Fire is Oregon.

Here's KGW news reporting of PGE's proposed electric rate increase:    

Portland General Electric requests rate hikes for 2025 | kgw.com

PGE serves the Milwaukie, Oregon, area and much of the Willamette Valley..

Meanwhile, Northwest Natural gas utility company will be refunding customers on average $20 in the next month or so, as it is able to operate its distribution system more efficiently than planned this Winter so far.  Here's this bit of good news for gas utility customers:

 2024 bill credits for customers - NW Natural 

The Above table compares the cost of heating your home with a natural gas furnace versus an electric resistance furnace or an electric heat pump in the Milwaukie area and most other places in the Willamette Valley.  There is no comparison.  Natural gas is far and away the least expensive way to heat your home.

With wind and solar, electric utility companies, like PGE, must build twice or more the number of facilities in order keep the lights on.  For one, electric utilities like PGE have to add mega, building size batteries to back up wind and solar power generating resources.  It probably also has to add inefficient natural gas power plants, instead of efficient natural gas power plants; just to back up solar and wind.  You also have to have a lot more overhead transmission lines crossing the Oregon horizon.

(posted by Elvis Clark on March 1, 2024)

Milwaukie's Oregon House Representative, Mark Gamba, takes in $5,000 from a solar company while pushing to eliminate Oregon's review of the use of federal lands in Oregon.

Green energy grifting is ok, according to Gamba.

Gamba touts that he is saving us from a climate catastrophe.  Here is his quote in the Willamette Week newspaper:    

“We cannot afford for it to continue taking up to 20 years to build transmission lines and clean energy facilities when our climate is on the verge of utter collapse,” he says. “HB 4090 will shave several years off the process.” Gamba’s campaign says he won’t take money from fossil fuel companies but is “grateful for support from his allies in the clean and renewable energy industries.”

Geez, even prominent climate change advocates like Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg say that we are not facing a climate catastrophe anytime soon.  Even Congresswoman "AOC" says she didn't really mean it when in 2018 she said the world would end by 2030 if the world didn't act immediately to reduce and eliminate CO2 emissions.  Yet Gamba continues to beat the Climate Alarmist gong.

Here's the link to the Willamette Week's reporting on Gamba's taking of solar company campaign monies and pushing to eliminate Oregon's say in how Federal lands are used for energy development:

 A Solar Developer Sent Big Checks to Lawmakers Who Could Clear the Way for His Clean-Energy Ambitions (wweek.com) 

(posted by Elvis Clark on February 22, 2024)