Meeting Growth with Renewable Energy
By 2020, the PUD's electrical load is expected to increase by 25 percent. The PUD is planning to meet this growth through conservation and renewable, non-greenhouse-gas-emitting energy resources, including geothermal, biomass, tidal, wind and solar. The utility created its “Integrated Resource Plan,” which provides a long-term strategy regarding future energy resources. It establishes an action plan that ensures enough resources are available, at a reasonable cost, to meet future energy loads. (See link to the right to view the IRP.)
The PUD’s preferred plan positions the utility as a leader in conservation and renewable resource development. It calls for 96 average-megawatts of new cost-effective conservation, more than all of the PUD’s achievements to date. It also establishes “stretch” goals of 5% in additional energy efficiency. Future power supplies would include geothermal, tidal, wind, landfill gas, small hydro and contracts with the Bonneville Power Administration.
Action Plan
The actions necessary to carry out the plan are as follows:
- Implement all cost-effective energy conservation measures.
- Actively pursue conservation “stretch” goals and continue to seek new opportunities for customers to save energy and reduce demand.
- Work with BPA to establish a 2012-2028 power supply contract that maximizes the benefits of the federal power system to the PUD.
- Negotiate long-term contracts for renewable resources with third party providers.
- Immediately begin development of geothermal resources in or near Snohomish County with a target commercial operation date of 2014 for the first power plant.
- Continue research and development of tidal energy systems in the Puget Sound.
- Evaluate and, where appropriate, pursue small-scale hydroelectric opportunities in Snohomish County.
- Where appropriate, encourage customer ownership of small-scale resources.
- Participate in regional transmission forums to ensure adequate transmission capacity is available to deliver BPA and other generating resources to PUD loads.
- Continue to monitor emerging technologies and further develop staff knowledge, tools and databases used to evaluate both supply and demand-side resource options.
Snohomish County Public Utility District No. 1