March is Women's History Month — the perfect time to celebrate the important contributions women have made in the science and energy landscape. Our own Oregon Department of Energy Director, Janine Benner, certainly matches that description. This month, she reflects on fellow trailblazers in energy.

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranked Oregon at No. 9 in its nationwide State Energy Efficiency Scorecard, which measures policy and program standards that support energy efficiency.

The Oregon Department of Energy has awarded $950,000 in grants to 19 Oregon counties to support development of energy resilience plans through the agency’s County Energy Resilience Grant Program.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of Oregon’s Energy Facility Siting Council will be held on Friday, March 21, 2025.

On March 4, the Oregon Department of Energy was proud to sponsor the 2025 Oregon Coast Renewable Energy Challenge at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. Students from public elementary and middle schools along the coast created their own renewable energy devices to compete for best design.

In this month's newsletter, ODOE provides an update on federal funding, invites Oregonians to get involved with the Oregon Energy Strategy, continues celebrating 50 years of public service, and more.

The Oregon Department of Energy will host two online public forums on February 27, 2025 to present key takeaways from Oregon Energy Strategy modeling results and gather feedback from Oregonians to help inform ODOE staff as the project moves into policy discussions.

The Oregon Department of Energy has kicked off the next phase of developing the Oregon Energy Strategy, and there are many ways Oregonians can weigh in over the next several months. We hope you can join us for these important conversations as we work toward a final energy strategy in November 2025.

Almost since its inception, ODOE has offered incentive programs to help Oregonians across the state invest in energy efficiency and renewable energy. This month as we celebrate 50 years of ODOE, we look back at the Renewable Energy Development Grant Program.

Dozens of state-jurisdiction energy facilities across the state – including wind, solar, natural gas, and other energy generation facilities – help keep the lights on in Oregon homes, businesses, schools, and other buildings. So what happens after facilities are approved or built? Who makes sure the facilities are operating safely and meeting state requirements? Learn all about it.