Wyoming solar capacity to increase 1,300% under PacifiCorp plan

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Richard Brooks

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Oct 4, 2019 2:12 pm GMT
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Wyoming solar capacity to increase 1,300% under PacifiCorp plan

The utility’s 2019 draft IRP outlines nearly 11 GW of wind and solar set to go on-line by 2038, complimented by 2.8 GW of battery storage and the early retirement of five coal plants.

Source: pv-magazine-usa.com

The electric grid phase transition is certainly in high gear with evidence like this appearing online.

report

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Joe Deely on Oct 4, 2019 5:20 pm GMT

The electric grid phase transition is certainly in high gear with evidence like this appearing online.

Richard,

I personally think the Pacificorp IRP is the biggest news we he have seen in the US energy transition space so far in 2019...

Huge.

Next step - accelerate the acquisition of renewables and the closure of coal plants called for in the plan.

Richard Brooks on Oct 4, 2019 8:47 pm GMT

Joe,

I agree this is big news. I also believe the capacity exchange marketplaces that REBA and Level Ten Energy operate have opened the flood gates for "Green Buyers" to accelerate their advancement to 100% renewable energy status. Energy Web, a new player coming up fast, is poised to also make a big splash in streamlining energy purchases for consumers. We are witnessing history in the making.

Bob Meinetz on Oct 5, 2019 3:08 pm GMT

Richard, you've probably seen this late-breaking news:

"PacifiCorp announced Friday that it has received bids for 5600 MW of new renewable resources in its request for proposal for adding 1100 MW of renewables in the next seven years.

The company’s 'Renewable Resource Request for Proposals,' or RFP 2003B, is a consequence of the utility’s integrated resource planning (IRP) process, a ten-year plan to ensure safe, reliable, low-cost energy for Pacific Power and Utah Power customers. PacifiCorp serves six western states as Pacific Power and Utah Power. This is one of the largest such requests for renewables ever released by an investor-owned utility in the US.."

Sorry, my mistake - the release is dated "26 April 2004", and PacifiCorp never followed through on its proposal!

It's almost like the company can deflect criticism of a 90%+ coal/gas portfolio by simply issuing proposals occasionally, promising "safe, reliable, low-cost energy" for time a just far enough into the future. Isn't it?

Joe Deely on Oct 5, 2019 7:18 pm GMT

Bob,

From the the link you provided -

In the next ten years, PacifiCorp’s IRP calls for bringing up to 1400 MW of renewable generation into PacifiCorp’s resource portfolio.

You said:

Sorry, my mistake - the release is dated "26 April 2004", and PacifiCorp never followed through on its proposal!

Are you saying that Pacificorp did not add at least 1,400 MW of renewable capacity into their resource portfolio within those 10 years?

Here is their current wind/solar portfolio.

Also:

PacifiCorp plans 1GW repowering

in the submission, PacifiCorp subsidiary Rocky Mountain Power is looking to repower the 99MW Glenrock I; 39MW Glenrock III; 99MW Rolling Hills; 118.5MW Seven Mile Hill I & II; 99MW High Plains; 28.5MW McFadden Ridge; 111MW Dunlap Ranch I; 140.4MW Marengo I; 70.2MW Marengo II; 94MW Goodnoe Hills; and the 110.5MW Leaning Juniper.

The projects are located in Wyoming, Washington and Oregon, and were installed between 2006 and 2010, according to Windpower Intellgence, the research and data division of Windpower Monthly.

Bob Meinetz on Oct 6, 2019 2:50 pm GMT

Nice try, Joe. We weren't talking about repowering coal plants with gas, were we? And all of PacifiCorp's wind and solar PPAs weren't made before 2014, of course.

When they were made, I have no interest in subscribing to appropriately-named "Windpower Intellgence", your wind-industry propaganda rag, to find out. Once again, you attempt to portray PacifiCorp's tiny, 939 MW portfolio of intermittent wind and solar capacity as capable of "replacing" its 8,456 MW fossil fuel portfolio - electricity available on demand. Doesn't work that way.

But keep at it, PacifiCorp and Warren Buffett ("we get a tax credit if we build a lot of wind farms...that’s the only reason to build them") are counting on you. Me, I'm too intellgent for that.

Joe Deely on Oct 6, 2019 7:15 pm GMT

Bob,

You said-

Sorry, my mistake - the release is dated "26 April 2004", and PacifiCorp never followed through on its proposal!

The proposal was to add 1,400 MW of renewables to the Pacificorp renewables portfolio in the next ten years. I showed that Pacificorp did indeed follow through on their proposal. Pretty obvious that you were wrong.

Do you come back with any fact-based argument to refute what I have shown? Nope. That would involve actual work on your side.

Do you say - "Oh, I didn't know about those projects - my bad?"

Nope. Instead, you imply that my source is propaganda(without showing any alternatives) and you refute a straw man argument. Pretty much your standard. Lazy.

You end with -

Me, I'm too intellgent for that."

Fits perfectly with the rest of your comment.

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