News | Northwest Power and Conservation Council

Exploring Key Power Supply Questions Through Scenario Analysis

February 26, 2020
Ben Kujala

The Council’s regional power plan is not just an opinion of how the region should supply electricity. It is a strategy developed through a rigorous analytical process, conducted in the public sphere, where interested parties are invited to participate.

A Pile of Retirements: The Next 10 Years for Western Coal Plants

August 19, 2019
Ben Kujala

Coal has been used to generate electricity from the beginning of the electric grid. But generating electricity from coal, at least in the West, may become a thing of the past. And utilities' plans indicate the decline of coal generation in the West will be rapid over the next decade.

Imagining the Future to Prepare for It

July 31, 2019
Ben Kujala

Scenarios provide critical information to aid the region in navigating through a volatile and uncertain energy future.

Navigating a Complex Path to a Secure Energy Future

June 13, 2019
Ben Kujala

Planning for the power system is challenging. As planners, we try to determine how much electricity we will need over the next 20 years by evaluating uncertainty about weather, fuel prices, and changes in technology.

The State of Research for Planning the Future of the Power Grid

July 03, 2018
Ben Kujala

I recently had the pleasure of attending the Probabilistic Methods Applied to Power Systems (PMAPS) conference in Boise, ID. The conference brought some of the brightest minds together to explore how computer models and mathematics can help keep the lights on.

Do Customers of Rural Utilities Have Higher Electricity Bills?

August 31, 2016
Ben Kujala

The Northwest has over 100 different utilities, many of them in small, rural communities. How do their electricity bills compare with urban utility customers?

Renewables in a Shifting Energy Landscape

August 15, 2016
Ben Kujala

One of the challenges with wind and solar generation is that the amount of generation you get in any hour depends on the weather. But there are promising solutions that could help meet that challenge.

Do Customers of Northwest Investor-Owned Utilities have Higher Electricity Bills?

August 05, 2016
Ben Kujala

The Northwest has over 100 different utilities, many of them small publicly owned utilities. Investor-owned utilities are companies owned by investors that earn a profit for providing electricity to their customers. So as a customer of an investor-owned utility in

National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid Recap

July 12, 2013
Ben Kujala

The National Town Meeting on Demand Response and Smart Grid was held in Washington DC from July 9th to the 11th. There was a wide range of presenters at the meeting from a diverse set of organizations. This

EnerNOC Expands DR Contracts with Both SCE and PG&E in California

February 06, 2013
Ben Kujala

In a couple of press releases, EnerNOC announced they have expanded demand response contracts in Southern California and Northern California.

Integrating energy and the environment in the Columbia River Basin

See what the Council is up to.

Explore News By Topic

The Council works to protect and enhance fish and wildlife in the Columbia River Basin. Its Fish & Wildlife Program guides project funding by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The Fish and Wildlife Program

Independent Review Groups

Forums and Workgroups

Topics

The Council develops a plan, updated every five years, to ensure the region’s power supply and acquire cost-effective energy efficiency.

The Northwest Power Plan

Technical Tools and Models

Energy Advisory Committees

Energy Topics

Recent and Upcoming Meetings

Browse reports and documents relevant to the Council's work on fish and wildlife and energy planning, as well as administrative reports.

REPORTS BY TOPIC

COLUMBIA RIVER HISTORY PROJECT

Articles by Ben Kujala