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Current Northwest Energy Issues

Gain insights from BPA customers providing perspectives on energy issues, generators, variable resources, and interconnected systems. Exploring regional and federal concerns in the energy sector. Contact Dan James for more information.

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Current Northwest Energy Issues

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  1. Current Northwest Energy Issues A BPA Customer Perspective Dan James PNWA Summer Meeting June 23, 2014

  2. BPA Customers • Consumer owned, not-for-profit utilities who buy electricity from the Bonneville Power Administration • A legal and historic first right to federal power at cost • Electric Cooperatives • Public Utility Districts • Municipal Utilities • Tribal Utilities • * Direct Service Industries

  3. PNGC Power Members

  4. Power Systems 101

  5. Take-aways • The electrical system must reliably provide power to keep the lights on • Power is provided by generating capacity • Generator output must exactly match demand for electricity every 4 seconds • Need flexible/controllable generation • Interconnected power systems create opportunities and risks

  6. Let’s talk generators Electricity Steam turbine - generator Hydro turbine - generator

  7. Generator Capacity • A generator can produce power up to its nameplate capacity – power output • Actual power output depends on generator type, fuel availability, etc. • Power output is measured in Watts • kW = 1,000 watts, MW = 1,000,000 Watts

  8. Hydro Flexible and controllable (with lake storage)

  9. Coal Boardman Coal Project, OR Thermal - Generally fixed with some control (with coal pile storage)

  10. Natural gas Rathdrum Power Project, ID Thermal - Flexible and controllable (limited by pipeline capacity)

  11. Nuclear Columbia Generating Station, WA Thermal - Generally fixed with minimal control (long term fuel storage)

  12. Geothermal Raft River Geothermal, ID Thermal - Generally fixed with minimal control (no fuel storage)

  13. Wind Nine Canyons Wind Project, WA Intermittent with minimal control (near term predictability with no fuel storage) Known as Variable Energy Resources (VERS)

  14. Solar PhotoVoltaic, or PV Follows Sun with minimal control (no fuel storage) Also known as Variable Energy Resources (VERS)

  15. Landfill gas-to-electricity Coffin Butte Landfill Gas Project, Corvallis OR Thermal - Fixed output with some control (no fuel storage)

  16. Electrical System Simple system: Ignores losses & voltage transformations 100 MW Generation must match Load Every 4 seconds! 100 MW

  17. Morning peak Evening peak Wind Ramp Nuclear Natural Gas Coal

  18. Interconnected systems • Created hourly markets • Market opportunities and risks • Economic gains / losses • Exposure to reliability risks • That’s why a power line fault in Idaho can cause an outage in San Francisco • Complexity

  19. Take-aways • The electrical system must reliably provide power to keep the lights on • Power is provided by generating capacity • Generator output must exactly match demand for electricity every 4 seconds • Need flexible/controllable generation • Interconnected power systems create opportunities and risks

  20. What matters • Cost • Reliability of the system – keeping the lights on

  21. Regional Issues • Federal Columbia River Power System BiOp • Northwest Power & Conservation Council • Fish and Wildlife Program Amendments • 7th Power Plan • Conservation and Energy Efficiency • Governor Inslee’s call for a coal-free energy system • State Renewable Portfolio Standards

  22. Federal Issues • Columbia River Treaty • Federal Budget • Protect and defend • Department of Energy / BPA • Staffing • Standards • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission • Wind integration • Market • EPA

  23. Questions? Dan James PNGC Power djames@pngcpower.com o 503.288.5545 m 503.804.2612

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