February 2023 Newsletter
Oregon Department of Energy at the Capitol
The 2023 Legislative Session is in full swing as we head into March. ODOE policy analysts track every energy-related bill throughout session, which we’ll summarize in an end-of-session report (see our 2021 and 2022 reports). This year, we are tracking at least 45 bills that would assign our agency new work. The bills require us to consider what additional staff or resources might be needed to do new work or administer new programs so we can best inform decision-makers as they review and vote on potential legislation. While only some of these bills will ultimately cross the finish line, we still consider every new program or study that could be assigned to us.
Meanwhile, ODOE has our own bills and we support some other bills that are brought by others. A major theme for the Oregon Department of Energy this year and this legislative session is readiness for the influx of new federal funding for energy programs from both the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. We have two bills that will help our agency not only prepare for that funding, but also help us better connect with communities and individuals. Read more about Senate Bill 852 and House Bill 3166 on our website.
Another theme for our agency is continuing our existing work, particularly around maintaining our relatively new set of energy incentive programs. Read more about SB 3418, which would extend the Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate program on our website. And our agency budget bill, HB 5016, was heard by legislators on February 21-22 and will be up for a public hearing on March 2.
Finally, every legislative session, our expert staff are asked to share their knowledge in informational hearings intended to help legislators and the public better understand a topic for which legislation is expected or forthcoming. So far this session, agency staff have presented 14 times on issues ranging from hydrogen to federal funding opportunities, from our Community Renewable Energy Grant Program to the agency’s budget.
ODOE Seeking Regional Administrators for Community Heat Pump Deployment Program
The Oregon Department of Energy is seeking eligible regional entities to administer the agency’s new Community Heat Pump Deployment Program.
The program will allocate grant dollars to eligible entities that will then, as Regional Administrators, provide financial assistance for the purchase and installation of heat pumps and related upgrades in Oregon homes. Eligible entities include federally recognized Tribes, local governments, housing authorities, electric utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others. Grants may be allocated to one eligible entity for each region and one eligible entity for each federally recognized Tribe. The regions are the economic development districts in Oregon, as designated by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
The Oregon Department of Energy has $8.5 million available to allocate among the selected Regional Administrators, which will each design a heat pump deployment program that will best serve their community and support heat pump installation. Eligible entities that want to serve as Regional Administrators must demonstrate that they have the capacity to administer a grant program and that they serve or represent at least one environmental justice community within a region or members of a federally recognized Tribe.
ODOE will open an application portal in early March. Eligible regional entities must apply by April 7, and applications will be checked for completeness before going through a competitively-scored review. Applicants will earn points for connections to Tribes, experience with program development, organizational capability and capacity, strength of the proposed program and the financial plan, and the potential outcomes and benefits. More information for potential Regional Administrators is available in ODOE’s program Opportunity Announcement.
ODOE will also hold an informational webinar on Thursday, March 2 at 10 a.m. to provide an overview of the program rules and timeline. Sign up to receive program updates and future meeting notices by email.
Forging a Path for Long-Duration Energy Storage
Some types of energy, like coal, natural gas, or petroleum are easy to store for later use — much like the gasoline stored in underground tanks at gas stations, waiting to fill up your car. Electricity, on the other hand, is typically used immediately as it’s generated. Some electricity-generating resources, like coal or natural gas, can be stored at a generating facility and used when needed for the grid. Other resources, like renewable wind or solar facilities will generate electricity for immediate use on the grid as the wind blows and sun shines. As states and utilities — including here in Oregon — move toward a 100 percent clean electricity grid, more electricity storage options will be needed to store those variable renewable resources for times the wind doesn’t blow or after the sun has set.
Some battery technologies store electricity for shorter durations, say two to six hours. But energy grid planners and utilities have identified the need for long-duration storage options — 100 hours or more.
In the Oregon Department of Energy’s 2022 Biennial Energy Report and on the blog this month, we spotlight a local Oregon business that’s working to forge a path for long-duration energy storage. The story originally appeared in our “Energy 101” on long-duration energy storage, which dives into energy storage’s current trends, potential technologies, and more. Read more on our blog.
Wind: Renewable, Re-powered, and Recycled
As Oregon moves toward 100 percent clean electricity by 2040, our electric grid will need to meet the state’s power demand with a mix of renewable resources, energy efficiency, and energy storage. Oregon has a long legacy of using renewable resources like hydropower, wind, and solar to power our homes and businesses.
Oregon’s first utility-scale wind facility began operation in 2001 – today, more than a dozen wind facilities are in operation or under construction in the state. As wind facilities begin to age or produce less power, what happens to the materials – wood, fiberglass, and metals – that make up the turbines?
Until recently, most decommissioned wind turbines led to materials ending up in landfills. But efforts are now turning to reusing and recycling materials when possible. At the October 2022 Energy Facility Siting Council meeting, Brookfield Renewable Partners’ Wind Asset Manager, Daniel Perry, shared with the Council how his company recycled old wind turbine blades that were being re-powered at the Shepherds Flat wind facilities in northeast Oregon.
The Shepherds Flat facilities began operation in 2011 and 2012, and were set to re-power the existing turbines to produce more energy for the grid. The existing towers at the facilities were in good shape – but replacing the existing blades with longer models and upgrading existing gearboxes and other parts meant the turbines could increase annual energy production by about 20 percent. As part of the amended Site Certificates for the facilities, the Energy Facility Siting Council included a provision that the re-powered turbine parts would be recycled during the process.
In total, 317 of the turbines are being re-powered at the Shepherds Flat facilities, which means 50,000-pound gearboxes, metal plates, blade hubs, and more than 900 blades needed to be recycled.
As the blades and other pieces were removed from the turbine towers, Perry explained that most of the large metal pieces were sent to and recycled in Portland by Schnitzer Steel. The 900+ blades, which are made of wood and fiberglass, each weigh 17,000 pounds and had to be broken down to be shipped and recycled. A tree-cutting service was hired to help with the job, which included separating the recyclable wood from the non-recyclable fiberglass. The service used its blades, large tarps, and water recycling pumps to break down the pieces while safely removing the fiberglass. The blades were cut down further and stacked, “like Pringles,” said Perry, and shipped by truck and by rail to an old rock quarry in Missouri. The Missouri company shredded the blades to small pieces that can be used in concrete-making.
This recycling effort was the first of its kind in Oregon, and didn’t come without challenges. The recycling process was a new approach that came with a large price tag. Additionally, the Missouri company appeared to be the only one in the country equipped to accept the large amount of blade materials and recycle them for other use. As more turbines meet the end of their lives or become set to re-power with new blades, Oregon and other states will need to consider how best to process the old materials – from recycling to re-use in other facilities.
Learn more about Oregon’s energy facility siting process on ODOE’s website, including how to get involved in the process. For more on electricity generation in Oregon and the benefits, challenges, and trade-offs as we chart a course to Oregon’s energy future, check out our 2022 Biennial Energy Report.
Meet the 2022 Biennial Energy Report: ODOE to Hold Webinar March 7
The third edition of the Oregon Department of Energy's Biennial Energy Report was published on November 1, 2022. It's full of Oregon-specific energy data, trends, and policy discussions on renewable energy, resilience, transportation, climate change, energy efficiency, emerging technologies, and much more. Within the reports pages, we hope you find useful information that builds on the foundation of our past reports.
Join ODOE on Tuesday, March 7 at 4 p.m. for an introductory webinar about the report. Our team will walk through the report and provide opportunities for questions and feedback. Learn more and find meeting log-in information on our website.
Reports from Around the Agency
Join our team! Check out open recruitments on our website and please share with your networks.
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, is recruiting for a new member. Contact Todd Cornett, ODOE's Assistant Director for Siting and the Council Secretary, with questions.
ODOE Director Janine Benner and Assistant Director for Planning and Innovation Alan Zelenka were in Washington, D.C. this month for the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) Energy Policy Outlook Conference. The conference covered many energy topics, including forthcoming federal funding for energy programs across the country.
ODOE held a webinar earlier this month to provide an update on federal funds coming to Oregon. If you missed it, check out a recording of the meeting on our website and sign up to receive future federal funding updates by email.
ODOE Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety & Emergency Preparedness Maxwell Woods and Radioactive Waste Remediation Specialist Matt Hendrickson were in Richland, WA this month to present to the National Academies of Science regarding a study on Hanford tank waste treatment options.
ODOE also wrote a letter to Oregon's congressional delegation on the importance of funding the Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup.
Despite surprise snow on the Oregon coast, ODOE Emergency Manager Deanna Henry was in Lincoln City on February 23 to attend and present at the Tribal Emergency Preparedness Coalition Summit. Deanna discussed fuel planning for emergencies, as well as the forthcoming Oregon Energy Security Plan project.
A few members of the ODOE team attended Oregon State University's Small Farms Conference on February 18 to connect with Oregon agricultural producers about our Rural & Agricultural Energy Audit Program, other incentive programs, and more.
In celebration of Black History Month, the Oregon State Archives partnered with Oregon Black Pioneers to create the Black In Oregon exhibit. The exhibit uses archival records to illuminate the courage and resilience of Black pioneers who built lives for themselves and their families in Oregon despite the many barriers they faced.
We were excited to see the Eugene Water & Electric Board's announcement of nearly $125,000 in electric mobility grants for local community organizations. Check it out!
NW Natural will issue a Request for Proposals on March 15 for those interested in the sale of pipeline-quality renewable natural gas and/or associated attributes. The RNG may be sourced from around the country and from a wide variety of feedstocks and sources, including renewable hydrogen. Initial responses will be due April 17, 2023.
With the Oregon legislative session in full swing, the Senate Committee on Energy and Environment is encouraging young Oregonians to get involved and share their views with committee members. Students from kindergarten to 12th grade can sign up to tell the committee, virtually or in person, about an energy or environment issue that is significant to them. Sign up online to participate.
ODOE has several incentive programs up and running, including the Community Renewable Energy Grant Program, the Rural & Agricultural Energy Audit Program, Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program, and Energy Efficient Wildfire Rebuilding. Two new heat pump programs will launch this year. Learn more about our energy incentives on ODOE's website.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing about a dozen proposed or amended energy facilities? From wind to solar facilities – to combined wind, solar, and storage facilities – you can learn more about the state's process and how to get involved on our website. You can also sign up to receive a monthly facility siting update showing the latest and greatest.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Public Hearing on ODOE's 2023-2025 Budget (Oregon Legislature) | March 2, 2023 | Salem and Virtual
Information Meeting on Community Heat Pump Deployment Program | March 2, 2023 | Via Webinar
Introductory Webinar on 2022 Biennial Energy Report | March 7, 2023 | Via Webinar
Federal Funding: Grid Resilience Public Hearing | March 15, 2023 | Via Webinar
Energy Code Stakeholder Panel | March 16, 2023 | Via Webinar
Energy Facility Siting Council | March 24, 2023 | Salem & Via Webinar
Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board | May 9, 2023 | Hood River & Via Webinar
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)