Alternative Energy
How does solar power work?
Energy from the sun can be directly converted to electricity using solar cells, also known as photovoltaics or PVs. Today's solar electric systems have 20 to 25 year warranties, are pollution free and can be used to offset your utility power or as stand-alone power for remote applications. The down side to this technology is that it initially costs three to five times more than utility power. However, there are tax incentives in Oregon when buying solar energy systems, and the reduced power bills in the long run make the technology pay for itself eventually. For more information about the available tax credits for renewable energy technologies, please visit the Oregon Government Solar Energy Home Page.
How well can solar water heaters reduce electric energy expenditures?
According to the Oregon Government Solar Energy Home page, "A solar water heater in Eastern Oregon on average collects 8 percent more energy than one in Florida. That's because our ground water is considerably colder than in Florida, which makes the system run more efficiently. In addition, our long summer days add up to more energy savings. The solar water heating industry has matured a lot over the past 15 years: systems today must be OG-300 certified to receive an Oregon tax credit. An OG-300 certified system meets the standards for performance, safety, design and maintenance established by the Solar Rating and Certification Corporation". To learn more about how solar water heaters work, click here.
How do I find businesses to help me utilize solar power?
Click here to find information on local businesses that sell solar power and lighting.
How can I utilize wind power?
Small electric wind turbines for residential or small commercial use have been available for more than three decades. The current technology is highly reliable and converts wind energy into electricity efficiently. Wind turbines for residential applications typically range in electrical output capacity from 500 watts up to 20 kilowatts. These systems are mounted on towers between 30 and 60 feet off the ground and may have blades or rotors up to 10 feet in diameter, similar to those on an aircraft engine,. Remote home wind systems, where there is no utility electric power supply, typically use batteries to store electricity for periods of low or no wind.
Where there is access to utility power and the wind system generates more power than can be used on-site, the owner may be able to sell the excess generation to the local utility. This requires special agreement with the utility and technical switching, metering or inverter equipment. You can produce electricity with a wind system and get a tax credit of 60 cents per estimated kilowatt-hour saved during the first year, up to $1,500. Qualifying costs include wind measuring equipment, turbines, towers, associated components, engineering costs, utility interconnection equipment and installation. For more information about wind power, please visit the Oregon Department of Energy. For information on local energy cooperative options, please visit the Blue Sky Business Participation List to learn more about businesses and agencies that support renewable energy.
Blue Sky Business Participation List
1-888-221-7070
825 NE Multnomah, Portland, OR 97232
What is geothermal power and how is it utilized?
Geothermal energy is a form of renewable energy derived from heat deep in the earth's crust. This heat is brought near to the earth's surface by thermal conduction and by molten magma moving into the earth's crust from great depths. As groundwater is heated, geothermal energy is produced in the form of hot water and steam. The resulting heated groundwater can be used for the heating of homes and greenhouses, for vegetable drying, and for a number of other uses. These are known as direct uses of geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy is also used indirectly for electricity production. Geothermal power generation is used today throughout the world where good geothermal resources exist, including many locations in the western United States.In fact, "Central Oregon may contain some of the best prospects for geothermal exploration in the continental United States" and the US Forest Service is investigating utilizing the Newberry Volcano for such purposes in the Deschutes National Forests. Click here to read more about this project.
Visit www.crest.org for a general background on the fundamentals of geothermal power, including discussions of the technical, economic, and policy dimensions of geothermal power worldwide.
What is Bioenergy?
Bioenergy is stored energy from the sun contained in materials such as plant matter and animal waste, known as biomass. Biomass is considered renewable because it is replenished more quickly when compared to the millions of years required to replenish fossil fuels. The wide variety of biomass fuel sources includes agricultural residue, pulp/paper mill residue, urban wood waste, forest residue, energy crops, landfill methane, and animal waste. Energy in the form of electricity, heat, steam, and fuels can be derived from these sources through conversion methods such as direct combustion boiler and steam turbines, anaerobic digestion, co-firing, gasification, and pyrolysis. The co-firing method mixes biomass with coal, and may be the best near-term economic opportunity for biomass, particularly in combined heat and power applications, which make the most efficient use of biomass.
Various farms, mills, and other businesses are starting to burn biomass to create energy in Central Oregon. Warm Springs Forest Products is already using biomass energy at their plant, as is Interfor Wood Products in Gilchrist. A few local residents of Sisters have recently sent a proposal to the US Department of Agriculture to fund a biomass plant in Sisters, suggesting that forest debris from fire prevention thinning should be burned and converted to energy.
How is natural gas utilized in Central Oregon?
Central Electric Cooperative (CEC) in Bend, Oregon, is part owner of a clean, non-polluting electricity generating plant in the Willamette Valley that creates power by burning methane gas from a nearby landfill. If this gas wasn't used to produce electricity, it would have to be burned in the open air to meet federal EPA regulations. The same anaerobic digestion process that produces biogas from animal manure and wastewater occurs naturally underground in landfills. Most landfill gas results from the decomposition of cellulose contained in municipal and industrial solid waste. Unlike animal manure digesters, which control the anaerobic digestion process, the digestion occurring in landfills is an uncontrolled process of biomass decay. This environmentally friendly source of energy, Green Power, is available to CEC members. You can buy as little or as much as you want, in 100 kilowatt-hour blocks. The price will be 1.8 cents per kilowatt-hour more than the regular rate. So, if you sign up for 300 kilowatt-hours of Green Power every month, your total electric bill will increase only $5.40. Please visit the Oregon Government's Biogas Technology page for more information.
What is being done in Central Oregon to encourage the development of alternative energy?
Several organizations, businesses and agencies are working proactively to develop an alternative energy cluster throughout Oregon with emphasis on Central Oregon. One such project is (BASE) the Business Alliance for Sustainable Energy. This project is designed to accelerate the development of the emerging renewable and efficient energy cluster in the Central Oregon Corridor. These "sustainable energy" sectors show great promise to develop family-wage, meaningful employment in rural and urban communities. Assisting cluster businesses can help accomplish multiple economic, social, and environmental goals identified by local, state, and federal stakeholders.
The Primary Goals of the Business Alliance for Sustainable Energy are:
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To create and expand sustainable energy projects and firms to generate jobs and income in the Central Oregon Corridor.
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To greatly increase public and agency awareness of the economic potential of renewable energy/energy efficiency economic development; to brand Central Oregon as a preferred location for renewable energy/energy efficiency start-ups and relocations.
BASE is a project of the Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council and 3EStrategies. Click here for more information.
You will find additional resources for alternative energy by viewing the Resources chapter of this site.
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