The U.S. state of Oregon has large wind energy resources. Many projects have been completed, most of them in rural Eastern Oregon and near the Columbia River Gorge. Wind power accounted for 12.1% of the electricity generated in Oregon in 2016. ^[1]

Legislative actions

Laws passed by the Oregon Legislative Assembly in 1999 and 2007 have aimed to encourage both small and large wind projects. Oregon passed a net metering law in 1999 that helped encourage installation of small wind power systems. ^[2] As of 2008, a handful of Oregonians have installed small-scale wind-power systems to reduce their carbon footprint. ^[3]

Under Senate Bill 838, wind, solar, geothermal and other types of renewable power must account for 25 percent of an electric utility's retail sales by 2025. Intermediate requirements set the standard at 5 percent by 2011, climbing gradually until 2025. ^[4]

In 2016, Oregon's RPS requirement target was raised to 50%, as two companies must supply 50% of Oregon's power as renewable by 2040. ^[5] The US Energy Information Administration expects this to increase windpower in Oregon, as older hydropower is exported to California and not eligible for the RPS. ^[6]

Companies

Vestas, the largest wind turbine manufacturer in the world as of 2009, has its North American headquarters in Portland. ^{[7] [8]} Iberdrola Renovables, one of the larger wind farm operators, also bases their American offices in Portland.

Capacity

Potential

Estimates from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory showed that Oregon has potential to install over 27,000 megawatts of onshore wind power. ^[9] The offshore wind potential is estimated at 225,000 MW, and would be capable of generating 962,723 million kWh. ^[10]

Installed growth

Installed wind power capacity in Oregon saw large growth from 2007 to 2012. Oregon ranks among the top ten states with the most wind power installed. Climbing from 1 percent in the early 2000s (decade), wind power accounted for 12.4 percent of total electricity generated in Oregon during 2013. ^{[11] [12]}

In 2009, 691 MW of wind-powered capacity was added in Oregon, the fourth biggest increase in the U.S. that year. ^[13]

Notable projects

Oregon Wind Generation

Gigawatthours (Million kWh) [14] [15] [16]

In 2009 GE Wind Energy was awarded a $1.48 billion contract to build the Shepherds Flat Wind Farm. ^[21] The 845-megawatt project uses over 300 turbines and spans across 30 square miles (78 km²) of Gilliam and Morrow Counties in north-central Oregon. ^[22] When it was completed in September 2012, it became the largest wind farm in Oregon, and the second largest in the world, although many larger ones are planned. It was completed in 2012 to take advantage of the 2.2 cent/kWh Production Tax Credit. ^{[23] [24]}

Conflicts

About four gigawatts of new wind energy development in Eastern Oregon and Washington has not been built due to the interference it could cause with aviation radar. The radar in Fossil was upgraded in June 2015 to stop "radar clutter" caused by nearby wind farms. ^[25]

Generation

Wind Generation Capacity by Year Megawatts of Wind Generating Capacity [26] [27] [28] [29] [16] [30]

Oregon Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh) Year Total Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 2001 88 3 3 8 6 6 6 7 5 5 7 7 25 2002 374 37 21 44 33 30 31 34 26 25 23 30 40 2003 445 28 36 67 27 43 28 26 22 36 45 54 33 2004 620 50 32 79 44 63 52 52 58 54 61 23 52 2005 734 40 33 72 55 55 69 58 62 63 69 88 70 2006 932 112 69 70 66 71 70 70 73 72 86 114 59 2007 1,248 73 75 100 97 109 121 101 105 98 79 84 206 2008 2,576 183 159 239 261 269 383 264 235 136 153 121 173 2009 3,470 211 90 339 364 336 448 321 443 314 273 233 98 2010 3,921 145 77 320 499 477 511 465 460 274 251 240 202 2011 4,775 289 305 296 516 464 570 475 571 263 378 427 221 2012 6,344 398 465 589 499 654 709 741 660 419 397 249 564 2013 7,455 438 636 563 959 698 682 852 615 649 343 459 561 2014 7,556 448 533 638 711 787 1,030 735 650 542 394 635 453 2015 6,630 220 423 402 635 651 663 830 748 529 437 525 567 2016 7,159 310 375 597 777 863 793 830 644 616 425 439 490 2017 6,225 207 327 521 694 566 754 874 597 478 566 386 255 2018 7,448 330 768 625 733 803 898 799 834 512 315 443 388 2019 6,567 252 310 301 687 706 961 913 753 650 491 317 226 2020 8,777 626 928 743 826 730 842 1,039 939 404 704 556 440 2021 9,592 552 969 934 938 926 781 888 822 583 729 667 803 2022 9,214 638 824 822 914 948 685 765 730 696 709 785 698 2023 2,547 687 948 912 Source: [31]

See also

• Solar power in Oregon
• Energy in Oregon
• Wind power in the United States
• Renewable energy in the United States

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind power in Oregon.

• Northwest Wind Industry Alliance (NWIA) official webpage
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Oregon
• U.S. Wind Energy Projects - Oregon
• Oregon Wind Activities