— by Tom Owens —
OPALCO — ¨Clean All The Time¨ Energy. Really?
Overview
OPALCO is now telling us that the energy they provide is ¨clean all the time.¨ This is a very important piece of information because it will influence our decisions on the use of energy. CO2 is now something that most of us are concerned about and many folks are taking action to reduce their carbon footprint. So, let’s test OPALCO’s statement of their energy being ¨clean all the time¨and see what are the real CO2 impacts.
Let’s start out by assuming that OPALCO’s statement is true, that their energy is ¨clean all the time¨ and that using it does not pollute.
If I am not polluting (or polluting very little) when I use OPALCO ¨clean all the time¨ energy, why should I think about CO2? Why not just use all I want and pay the 8.5 cents/kwh usage charge? (I am not likey to do this, because the 8.5 cents/kwh matters to me). Forget about using my cloths line and my drying rack, just fire up that electric dryer. Plug in that Leaf electric vehicle. Open my whole house to heating in the winter instead of closing off half. Set the thermostat at 75 degrees instead of 65. It would sort of be like living in Hawaii when it rains. And I am using lots of energy!
Wow, what a mistake! I replaced my compact florescent bulbs with those new more expensive LED’s, thinking I was saving CO2 (wrong, because I am saving ¨clean all the time¨ OPALCO energy and that does not pollute). I keep my thermostat down and try to save energy all I can, but I am not really saving CO2! Those folks that put in those solar arrays thought they would save CO2 (Opalco’s consultant, EES, states there are something approaching 160 now, costing on average 29,000 dollars, with a capacity average of 5.7 kw, operating about 12 percent of the time. This provides a savings of about 500 dollars/year). Well, they would be saving ¨clean all the time¨OPALCO energy, and since it is clean, there are no CO2 savings there. No reason to conserve or use renewable energy here in the San Juans!
Now, let’s say that using OPALCO’s energy does pollutes from fossil fuel fired generation on the WECC power grid.
If there is pollution when I use OPALCO’s energy, I am going to think differently. Not only will I be thinking about the 8.5 cent/kwh (OPALCO’s usage charge), I will be thinking about all the coal or natural gas generation I am using (and that is a lot of CO2). The drying rack goes back into action and I use my 45 mpg car instead of an Electric Vehicle (I don’t have one anyway). The thermostat goes back to 65 degrees. All of a sudden, I am conserving energy!
The money I spent on LED light bulbs now looks like a good idea, CO2 wise (not economically though). Those fine folks that spent all that money on solar [energy] systems can really know that they are saving a lot of CO2 (remember they did NOT do this to save money!). Conservation and renewable generation makes sense once again!
Now, let’s agree with OPALCO’s IRP Plan that seems to me to say OPALCO energy is pollution free (almost) when it is used but where conservation or renewables are concerned, the energy you saved would have polluted, thus you will be reducing pollution and your carbon footprint.
Well, let’s just rule this position out, since you can not have your energy be clean and dirty at the same time. It has to be one or the other. If using it does not pollute, saving it does not reduce pollution. If using it does pollute, saving it does reduce pollution.
Summary
How should we be looking at energy usage and conservation? The power system that supplies OPALCO and the entire Western Energy Coordinating Council grid must add generation to exactly match the new energy you use. There is no extra hydro, nuclear, solar or wind energy available to supply your requirements because all thes plants are already operating at their full available capacity simply because they are the lowest marginal cost plants on the grid. The responding plants will be fossil fuel fired generation because they are not operating at full available capacity simply because they are the highest marginal cost plants on the grid.
Likewise, the grid must reduce power generation by the exact amount you conserve or generate yourself from renewable energy. This reduction will be made by the most expensive plants (fossil fired generation) on the system, not the low cost hydro, nuclear, solar or wind.
More energy usage means more pollution, no matter where you are. Less energy usage (from conservation or renewable generation) means less pollution, no matter where you are. The plants that supply new loads or that reduce production if you conserve are fossil fuel fired plants (because they are the most expensive marginal cost plants on the grid) and they pollute. It does not matter if you are using ¨clean all the time¨ OPALCO energy or ¨dirty¨ energy if you live near a coal fired plant.
What matters is how much pollution (CO2) is generated to supply you with that energy! When you use more energy, you create CO2. The increases are not near zero! When you conserve or generate with renewables, you save CO2. The savings are not near zero!
The only affiliation I have with OPALCO is being a member of the Co-Op.
Tom, Even though OPALCO energy is very clean, conservation is important. Energy is precious and not to be wasted.
This is why OPALCO, through the collaboration with San Juan Islands Conservation District and energy roundtables, set a goal for zero load growth several years ago.
This is why OPALCO provides rebates and services to help members weatherize, insulate and upgrade to LED lighting, heat pumps and efficient appliances in their homes and businesses.
This is why OPALCO invests in local renewable energy, community solar for schools, and the forthcoming community solar for homes and businesses.
As energy expert Dan Kammen said, during a recent presentation to our island community, “With over 70% of the islands carbon footprint coming from transportation and heating, Co-op members have a unique opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint and energy bill by ‘fuel switching’ from fossil fuels – propane, heating oil and gasoline – to cleaner, lower cost OPALCO electricity.”
Electricity, applied efficiently, is the lowest cost, cleanest alternative to fossil fuels for heating and transportation.
I work with OPALCO on energy and conservation projects.
Hi Tom, Theresa Haynie here for OPALCO:
We agree with you about the importance of conservation because it doesn’t increase atmospheric CO2 and, moreover, saves money. But we part ways with your assertion that any consumption of electric energy always causes increased atmospheric CO2. With all due respect for your worldview, your statement is not borne out by the facts in the case of BPA-confirmed hydroelectric power that OPALCO purchases. If you need to pursue this point further, perhaps it’s time to take your dispute directly to BPA.
Jay, As you will see in my next article,I fully support OPALCO’s conservation programs.
Would they be even better if people understood that they were in fact saving CO2 by conserving?
Theresa,
We do part ways on your clean energy theory. I have asked you for reference to where in your BPA contract you find BPA’s obligation to send you only hydro generated power. I asked you who at BPA is telling you that you only get hydro generated power and how to contact them. You have been unwilling to answer these requests. How about answering?
If you will read what I write carefully, you will find that it does not matter if BPA does supply you with only hydro generated power. If you use more energy, someone else has to has to go to fossil fuel. Simple as that.
More usage of OPALCO electricity means more fossil fuel is going to be burned.
I know this does not fit the OPALCO PR program, but it is none the less true.
Tom, Even though there is disagreement about your carbon footprint theory, the is no disagreement on the need to use precious resources like energy and water wisely.
For those interested in learning more on how to use less, see OPALCO’s Energy Savings web page for info on rebates, tips on how to reduce waste, and SmartHub, which lets you see when you use the most energy, hour by hour: https://energysavings.opalco.com
The BPA-OPALCO contract doesn’t specify hydropower, it specifies amounts of energy, prices, terms and conditions. BPA sells OPALCO 100% hydropower not because the contract requires it (it has many other sources, not all hydropower), but because without complex and expensive changes to the physical and therefore technical characteristics of the local BC-WA-OPALCO grid, BPA physically can’t avoid providing 100% hydropower to OPALCO. This is what BPA will confirm if asked.