On Friday afternoon I decided to attend a panel discussion on Clean Energy Innovation in the Pacific Northwest. This topic is particularly interesting to me as I live in Vancouver and was exposed to numerous innovations this summer working in cleantech venture capital. What some people don’t realize is that there is more diversity of energy resources in this region than any other region in North America. Shepherds Flat wind farm in Oregon will be the largest wind farm in the world, when completed in 2012, with a capacity of 845 MW. Despite the reputation of rain, solar is actually quite popular in the eastern areas of these western states. Washington and Oregon are also known to have significant geothermal capacity. Combined with legacy hydro power, as well as tidal and wave energy from the coast, it is clear to see how this region could be a mecca for clean energy in the future.
The panel was hosted by the First Lady of Oregon, Cylvia Hayes, who shared some interesting (and frustrating) stories of meetings between governors in the Pacific Northwest region. In one such meeting, the Governor of Utah demanded that the word “climate” be stricken from all of the white papers that were being reviewed. Miss Hayes (who has been a sustainability advocate for years) said she was about to burst while sitting beside her partner, Governor Kitzhaber. Instead she kicked his legs under the table as if to say ‘there is no way that we are going to let that happen!’ Thankfully it didn’t. But there you have it -a meeting between the Governors of Washington, Oregon, California, Utah and Idaho, as well as the Premier of British Columbia, discussing the future of clean energy – and they spend the entire time debating whether to use the word climate. Ah, sweet progress….
Washington and Oregon face many of the same challenges that British Columbia does when it comes to developing and implementing renewable energy projects. Energy in this region is very cheap, which makes the business case for wind or solar more difficult. Energy conservation is also a high priority. BC Hydro is working to meet at least 66 per cent of new demand through conservation and efficiency by 2020. In the States, similar goals have been set. After all, the cheapest electron is the one that isn’t used. Furthermore, both regions are faced with difficult and controversial projects. In BC, the Enbridge Gateway Pipelines (if completed) will transport petroleum from the oil sands to Kitimat, where it will be exported to Asia. Similarly, there is a real possibility that Oregon could build a terminal dedicated to shipping coal to China. These projects present an interesting dichotomy for the Pacific Northwest. Can a state claim to use 100% renewable energy if it mines, transports and ships coal to Asia?
Natural gas was also a hotly contested topic, with some on the panel arguing it is an appropriate bridge fuel and others questioning the immense investment required and the ability of America to treat it as a short term solution. Joshua Skov, founder of Good Company and one of the speakers on the panel had some funny one liners with regards to this debate including – “saying that natural gas is the cleanest hydrocarbon fuel is like saying pork is the other white meat”. There was one idea that I did take away from this discussion and I think it can be applied to any region struggling to implement renewable energy: As Joshua says, for real progress to take hold, “the political world needs to become much more business savvy, and the business world needs to become more politically savvy.” Agreed. Or maybe we just shouldn’t invite the Governor of Utah to the next meeting.
