Salem-News.com Energy articles Page 13

Oregon Public Utility Commission Acknowledges PGE Long Range Energy Plan

The Plan Includes Closing The Boardman Coal-Fired Plant

(SALEM, Ore.) - The Oregon Public Utility Commission has acknowledged Portland General Electric’s (PGE) Integrated Resource Plan (IRP)—a 20-year plan that describes in detail how the utility intends to meet future resource needs with the least cost and risk to customers.

The plan includes closing the Boardman coal-fired plant by the end of 2020 in order to follow Oregon Regional Haze Plan and Oregon Mercury Utility Rule standards.

Salem Launches Commercial Lighting Loan Program

Salem-area businesses eligible for low-interest loans from West Coast Bank

(SALEM, Ore.) - Today, the City of Salem, in partnership with West Coast Bank, launched a new pilot loan program for Salem-area Portland General Electric and Salem Electric commercial customers. Through the new program funded by the City’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant, commercial business owners and tenants are eligible to receive incentives of up to 50 percent for lighting improvements and access to a low-interest loan for the remaining costs.

Eligible lighting improvements include adding compact fluorescent lamps, electronic ballasts, and lighting controls (occupancy sensors and dimmers), and typically result in a payback period of between 3-4 years.

May Aung San Suu Kyi`s Light Shine on Tel Aviv and onto Berlin

(CLERMONT, Fla.) - Hours before her anticipated release scores of supporters gathered near the home of Nobel Peace Prize laureate pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, hoping to see her in her first few minutes of freedom after seven years of house detention under Myanmar's ruling generals.

Aung San Suu Kyi swept to victory in the 1990 election by a landslide on top of the National League for Democracy party, but the military refused to hand over power and clamped down on opponents.

Business Oregon and MEMC Announce Plans to Expand Portland Solar Materials Manufacturing Plant at Solar Power International 2010

The company estimates that the Oregon plant will ramp up from about 60 megawatts (MW) in annual production capacity at the time of acquisition, to approximately 300 MW of capacity in 2011

(LOS ANGELES Calif.) - The Oregon Business Development Department ("Business Oregon") and officials from MEMC Electronic Materials Inc. (NYSE: WFR), a global leader in the manufacture and sale of wafers and related products to the semiconductor and solar industries, today announced the expansion of MEMC's Portland, Oregon solar manufacturing facility. The facility was obtained through MEMC's recent acquisition of Solaicx.

MEMC's Portland facility has developed proprietary continuous crystal growth manufacturing technology which yields low-cost, high-efficiency monocrystalline silicon wafers for the photovoltaic solar industry. This technology allows for very high-volume crystal growth compared to the silicon ingots produced in the traditional precision semiconductor manufacturing process.

Solar incentive pilot project again proves popular

Another customer allotment will be available in early April 2011

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - It took just five minutes to fill all available slots in the second installment of a new pilot program that encourages Oregon electric utility customers to install solar panels to generate power.

An estimated 128 projects gained initial approval, claiming the amount of electrical generation set aside for this second allotment. A total 947 kilowatts of capacity was available to Pacific Power customers proposing projects of 10 kilowatts or smaller. Mid-sized systems, from 10 kilowatts to 100 kilowatts, vied for 534 kilowatts of capacity.

Toxic Coal Ash Report: Oregon`s Boardman Plant Listed as a Contamination Site

Oregon plant listed among 39 Water-Contamination sites in 21 states highlighted as EPA Rule Hearings near.‏

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Days before the USEPA kicks off a series of regional hearings on whether and how to regulate toxic coal ash waste from coal-fired power plants, a major new study identifies 39 additional coal-ash dump sites in 21 states that are contaminating drinking water or surface water with arsenic and other heavy metals.

The report documents the fact that state governments are not adequately monitoring the coal combustion waste (CCW) disposal sites and that the USEPA needs to enact strong new regulations to protect the public.

Did Ancient Egyptians Possess the Electric Light?

Several years ago this exact experiment was conducted by the Discovery Channel.

(CHICAGO) - Who discovered electricity and then harnessed it to create an artificial light source? Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Edison are the respective gentlemen--at least that's the answer which has been accepted as fact.
There's a growing contingent of researchers, however, claiming that we should no longer accept that popular version.

There's a growing contingent of researchers, however, claiming that we should no longer accept that popular version. They contend that electricity was originally discovered in the ancient world and the Egyptian priesthood was the first to harness the power to illuminate their underground tombs.

First Good News Emerges from BP`s Gulf Oil Spill

A siphon has successfully been repaired, CNN reports.

(VENICE, Louisiana) - The first good news to come out of the BP oil spill was reported by CNN today: the tube end has been reinserted successfully into the damaged oil pipe that lies almost a mile under water, below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.

According to CNN, this means that a portion of the leaking oil is now being pulled to the surface, where it is being captured by a drill ship.

Cape Wind/How the Grassroots Won -`In the Trenches` Comment on Salazar Decision

Clean Power Now and Civil Society Institute Laud Role of “People Power” in Overcoming $20 Million Lobbying Campaign, and Federal Inertia; End Called For on New Stalling Tactics by Opponents.

(HYANNIS, Ma.) - U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to allow the Cape Wind project to move ahead means more Massachusetts jobs.

It is viewed as a real demonstration of what can happen when concerned citizens are mobilized through effective grassroots organization.

Experts: U.S. Agrees to Store Enough Nuclear Waste to Fill Two Yucca Mountains - or Face Billions in Penalties

“Under the Radar”: Outgoing Bush White House Hiked Likely Penalties Borne by Taxpayers By Inking Deals With Over a Dozen Utilities; 170 Groups in All 50 States Release Principles Urging an Upgrade in Spent Reactor Fuel Storage Safety to Withstand Equivalent of “9/11 Attacks.”

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - The U.S. already agreed to store enough spent reactor fuel to fill the equivalent of two Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive waste repositories.

U.S. taxpayers would be on the hook for potentially tens of billions of dollars in penalties that would have to be paid to utilities if the 21 proposed reactor projects proceed.