Electricity From Coal Could Be Banned In Oregon

[ScienceRocks]

Electricity From Coal Could Be Banned In Oregon

Electricity From Coal Could Be Banned In Oregon CleanTechnica

February 5th, 2015 by Jake Richardson

Oregon state Senator Chris Edwards, D-Eugene, and state Representative Tobias Read, D-Beaverton, have proposed a ban on electricity generated by coal-burning power plants. If the idea sounds crazy, consider that 71% of Oregon residents said they support the bill, according to a Sierra Club poll. If the proposed legislation increases utility bills, over half still support it.

The potential cost to utility customers is the main objection and it’s a natural one, but all those details have not been worked out exactly. Currently, about one-third of Oregon’s electricity comes from coal-based power plants. Two-thirds comes from hydropower and other renewable sources, so Oregon is already well along the path to 100% clean energy.


If that goal seems unattainable, it certainly isn’t. Solar power has never been more affordable and it could decrease in price again by 40% over the next two years. Wind power will most likely continue to decrease in price as well, although government support is lacking.

Solar Could Fill the Gap Mostly
Oregon only has about 81 MW of solar power installed, so there is a lot of room for it to grow to fill the gap left by phasing out coal power plants.

In fact, it has been estimated that by 2025, 20% of Oregon’s electricity could be produced by solar power, “Utilizing all available rooftop space with suitable sun exposure, Oregon could technically install 10 gigawatts (GW) of rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems by 2025—which would generate about 20 percent of Oregon’s forecast electricity use in that year,” according to a 2012 report released by the Environment Oregon Research & Policy Center.

Good! Here is what I'd do!

Construct another 3.5 gw wind, build one more 1-1.5gw dam and mandate solar on the roof of every large business.

10gw of solar with the above could top the cake

Maybe add a new nuclear plant and geo-thermal! Well, we have a diverse range of energy resources getting rid of COAL.