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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
THURSDAY, May 30, 2002
Largest Photovoltaic Solar Power Facility in the Northwest Now in Operation Partnership Between Energy NW, BPA and BEF Results in the Development of New Solar RICHLAND, Wash. - Supporters of renewable energy development gathered today in a ceremony to dedicate the White Bluffs Solar Station. White Bluffs is the largest photovoltaic solar power facility constructed in the Pacific Northwest to date. The station has a nameplate rating of 38.7 kilowatts DC and should produce 29.5 kilowatts AC at PVUSA Test Conditions. The system is comprised of 242 BPSX3160S photovoltaic panels. The solar plant is a collaborative project of three leading energy organizations in the Pacific Northwest and the US Department of Energy, all of whom contributed funding and support. Energy Northwest will own and operate White Bluffs Solar Station. The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) will integrate the power into its system. And the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) will market the environmental attributes – the displaced air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – as a “Green Tags” product to buyers who want to offset the negative environmental effects of their own direct power consumption. The Tags have been pre-sold for the next two years to Clark Public Utilities and Puget Sound Energy for their ratepayers who are participating in the utilities' green power programs. Through BEF, the WallulaGen Corporation of Mercer Island, WA, was also a funding participant, contributing $50,000 of the $230,000 capital costs. WallulaGen is constructing a large gas-fired power plant near Wallula, WA, and made its contribution as part of a larger mitigation package agreed to with the State of Washington. The U.S. Department of Energy contributed $30,000 through its “Brightfields” solar grant program, with the assistance of Washington State University’s Cooperative Extension Energy Service. Greg Smith, Energy Northwest’s Vice President for Generation, noted the importance of planning for the region’s energy future. “We intend to extend our renewable portfolio with biomass, ocean wave energy, hydrogen storage, hydrogen use, this solar power station – and other non-carbon sources. Why are we doing this? I believe that in the coming century, a utility’s merit won’t be measured by how many megawatt-hours it produces, but by the amount of carbon it emits – or doesn’t emit – into the environment.” “Green power customers have shown great interest in supporting solar energy throughout the Pacific Northwest,” said Angus Duncan, BEF President. “White Bluffs marks another successful partnership to meet this demand. Like wind energy before it, solar power is moving rapidly from a high-cost, marginal technology to one that will provide cost-effective power to our region, along with price stability and environmental quality. An enthusiastic group inspected the 242 shiny blue panels that tilt slightly south into the bright skies. White Bluffs Solar Station is located adjacent to WNP-1, a never-completed nuclear plant that sits a mile east of Columbia Generating Station, the region’s only operating nuclear power station. About Energy Northwest Energy Northwest, a consortium of 16 public power agencies in Washington owns and operates Packwood Lake Hydroelectric Project. The project produces 27 megawatts of “environmentally preferred power” as certified by Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Energy Northwest also is constructing the 48-megawatt Nine Canyon Wind Project near Kennewick, scheduled for commercial operation in September 2002. Visit online at www.energy-northwest.com. About BPA The Bonneville Power Administration is a federal agency under the Department of Energy. Based in the Pacific Northwest, the agency markets power from 31 federal hydro projects, one nonfederal nuclear plant and several other nonfederal power plants. BPA also operates and maintains about three-fourths of the region's high-voltage transmission. About 45 percent of all the electric power used in the Northwest comes from BPA. Visit online at www.BPA.gov. BPA is a self-funding agency that covers its costs by selling its services wholesale to the region's public utilities, municipalities, investor-owned utilities and some large industries. BPA also sells or exchanges power with utilities in Canada and the western United States. Its service area includes Oregon, Washington, Idaho, western Montana and small parts of Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, California and eastern Montana. BPA is dedicated to providing public service. In addition to keeping rates low by selling at cost, BPA also promotes energy efficiency, renewable energy and new technologies. The agency funds the region's efforts to protect and rebuild fish and wildlife populations in the Columbia River Basin and works in partnership with others to ensure protection of the region's environment. Visit online at www.BPA.gov. About BEF Bonneville Environmental Foundation was established in 1998 to further the development and use of new renewable energy resources. Through sales of their green power products, BEF funds projects that restore damaged watersheds and create new sources of renewable energy such as solar, wind and low-impact hydro. Visit online at www.B-E-F.org. Bonneville Environmental Foundation is a non-profit organization that collaborates with, but is independent of, the Bonneville Power Administration. Photos available upon request Submitted for distrubution on 2002-05-31 00:00:00.0 at 11:45 AM |
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Bonneville Power Administration, 905 N.E. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232
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