Energy at a Crossroads: Rural Energy Stakeholders From Around the State Convene in The Dalles

Written By Faith Yorba

On September 18th-20th, Sustainable Northwest, with support from Energy Trust of Oregon, Wy’East RC&D, and Oregon Dept. of Energy, hosted the 9th Annual Fall Energy Symposium in Wasco County. This year we had our largest turnout yet with over 100 clean energy drivers from every corner of the state joining us throughout the 3-day event.

This Year’s Event Highlights

  • Engaging panel discussions featuring regional and local experts examining the history of energy in the Columbia Gorge, community resilience and microgrid barriers, transmission constraints and solutions, and rural electrification case studies.

  • Local clean energy field tours including The Dalles Hydropower Dam, Dufur School Energy Retroftis, 280 Earth Carbon Capture System, PaTu Wind Farm and more.

  • Interactive live demonstrations of electric tractors and other electric farming technologies showcasing the E-Farms program.

  • Resources and funding opportunities to advance clean energy projects.

  • Lively networking receptions with rural energy leaders from across the state.

PANEL PRESENTATIONS

Panel 1: How Energy Flows — The history and impact of hydropower on the communities and ecosystems of the Columbia River Gorge

Hannah Cruz, with Energy Trust of Oregon, moderated our opening panel that explored the various social, ecological, and regional impacts associated with the hydropower dams on the Columbia River. She was joined by Elaine Harvey, Yakama Nation tribal member and Watershed Program Manager at the Columbia River Intertribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), Bill Edmonds, the Executive Director of the NW Power and Conservation Council, Fred Huette, and Rob Del Mar, Senior Policy Analyst with the Oregon Dept. of Energy. Elaine Harvey shared insight into the ongoing impact that the dams have had on the Tribal communities that are native to the Columbia River. She encouraged everyone to read CRITFC’s Energy Vision which outlines a path to an affordable, carbon-free energy future that harmonizes with the ecosystem.

Panel 2: Transmission Deep Dive: Unearthing the role of and solutions for energy distribution systems across the Pacific Northwest

Moderated by Joshua Basofin, Clean Energy Program Director for Climate Solutions, this important panel unpacked what it will take to develop and deploy renewable energy to keep pace with Oregon’s surging energy demands. Michelle Manary, Vice President of Transmission Marketing and Sales at Bonneville Power Administration, provided insight into BPA’s current plans to expand transmission to accommodate load growth. David Brown, Founder and Senior Principal at Obsidian Renewables, explained the obstacles developers are experiencing to interconnecting renewables onto the grid and what needs to change to speed up connection. Emily Griffith, Oregon Policy Manager at Renewable Northwest some possible solutions including grid-enhancing technologies, comprehensive state and regional planning, implementing a single Day Ahead Market with a wide footprint, planning for an RTO, and promoting strategic development closer to existing transmission lines.

Panel 3: Community Resilience Renaissance: The growing importance of community energy resilience strategies and microgrid development

Prompted by the rising frequency of natural disasters, local communities are increasingly focused on enhancing their response to public safety power shutoffs and other grid disruptions. Microgrids can improve emergency preparedness and bolster grid stability and economic opportunities. Moderated by Alex Clingman of Sustainable Northwest, the panel discussed the importance of microgrids in rural Oregon and explored policy solutions to overcome barriers to their development. Shannon Souza from Sol Coast Consulting shared strategies for climate resilience, including efforts in Coos Bay that highlight challenges faced by under-resourced communities. Lindsay McClure from the Mid-Columbia Economic Development District emphasized community resilience planning and Hood River County's initiatives to develop microgrid projects. Lastly, Karina Hershberg from PAE provided insights into technical project design of microgrids and a post-wildfire microgrid case study from Greenville, California.

Panel 4: Beneficial Electrification in Rural Areas: Community case studies highlighting local innovations in rural and tribal clean energy

Moderated by Robert Wallace, Executive Director of Wy’East RC&D, this panel highlighted rural electrification case studies showcasing innovative solutions to electrify our schools, homes, transportation, and more. Our panelists were local leaders working on replicable solutions to the unique challenges facing rural communities. Brent Foster with Green Thumb Projects shared his work to improve the energy efficiency and resiliency of the Mosier Community School through a 112 kW solar and battery backup project and other energy retrofits. David Skakel with Forth, highlighted the challenges and lessons learned from a rural EV charging case study in Wasco County that he developed for USDA. Lastly, Joe Wachunas with New Buildings Institute shared insight into Hood River County’s MOVER project, an innovative resilience hub model using batteries from electric school buses to power Wy’East Middle School during an emergency or power outage.

FIELD TOURS

This year’s Fall Energy Symposium featured a variety of exciting field tours showcasing the clean energy innovations of The Dalles and the surrounding areas.

The Dalles Dam - This tour featured an in-depth walk-through of the dam's history, power generation, architecture, and fish ladder system. Attendees were able to go inside the dam’s powerhouse and view the 22 colorfully painted turbines that generate 2080 megawatts of energy and watch through an underwater window as dozens of salmon made their way through the fish ladder every minute.

The Dufur School Energy Retrofits - Jack Henderson, the school’s superintendent and local champion, led a tour of the school, highlighting the numerous energy efficiency and clean energy upgrades that have transformed the school, helping save thousands of dollars every year and building a safer, more resilient place for learning and community-building.

280 Earth Carbon Capture System - This tour showcased the region’s first Direct Air Capture (DAC) facility. This pilot plant was developed primarily for educational purposes with goals to scale this technology across the state and beyond.

PaTu Wind Farm - This tour was hosted by Ormand Hilderbrand of PáTu Wind, and Mike McArthur of the Community Renewable Energy Association (CREA). It is the first local, investor- and community-owned wind project in Oregon. It includes six wind turbines producing 27,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough to power 2,200 homes.

E-Farms Interactive Demonstration

Attendees learned about The E-Farms Program and experienced an interactive, live demonstration of three different pieces of electric farming equipment. The E-Farms team consists of four Oregon-based non-profit organizations — Sustainable Northwest, Wy’East RC&D, Forth, and Bonneville Environmental Foundation. Together the team works with producers and other interested parties to test electric farming equipment, evaluate the technology in comparison to traditional combustion models, reduce barriers to electrifying working lands, and identify solutions for lowering costs and increasing adoption of electric heavy-duty equipment.

Special thanks to our moderators, speakers, and participants. Sustainable Northwest looks forward to hosting our 10th Fall Energy Symposium next Fall. Contact Bridget Callahan if you have location suggestions, panel ideas, or other thoughts for the next symposium.

 
 

Thanks to our sponsors, Energy Trust of Oregon, Wy’East RC&D, and Oregon Department of Energy.

For more information, contact Faith Yorba

SNW Energy Program Associate 

fyorba@sustainablenorthwest.org

Learn more about SNW's Energy Program, the Making Energy Work Coalition, and our work in Rural Electrification.

Faith Yorba
Previous

Understanding the Basics of Regenerative Agriculture and Soil Health
Next

Staff Spotlight: Becca Shively