January 2022 Newsletter
ODOE Publishes Cost Analysis Tool and Guidebook for Electric School Buses
The Oregon Department of Energy has launched a new cost analysis tool and guidebook for Oregon school districts interested in adding zero emission buses to their fleets.
The Electric and Alternative Fuel School Bus Lifecycle Cost Analysis Tool analyzes different fuel types for school buses and summarizes the estimated costs for different alternative fuel buses—including electric, propane, natural gas, and different types of diesel. Having simplified access to this information can help school districts plan their transportation budgets and goals. Paired with the cost analysis tool is the Guidebook to School Bus Electrification, with information, recommendations, and financial resources (such as Public Purpose Charge funding) for Oregon school districts looking to add electric and alternative fuel buses to their fleets.
Six school districts in Oregon have already deployed or are in the process of procuring electric school buses. The first Oregon school district to begin running electric buses was Beaverton School District, so ODOE invited Beaverton third graders to help illustrate the guidebook. The agency held a contest and received more than 20 submissions from the district’s third grade classes with images illustrating thriving communities with electric buses, people, animals, and schools! Be sure to check out the tool, guidebook, and its colorful artwork on ODOE’s Government and Fleets webpage.
These new resources were developed through a multi-state agency partnership. Learn more on our blog.
Community Meetings for Solar + Storage Rebate Program
The Oregon Department of Energy is hosting virtual community meetings on our Solar + Storage Rebate Program, which offers rebates to residential customers and to low-income service providers that install solar or solar and paired energy storage systems (batteries).
In 2021, the Oregon Legislature allocated an additional $10 million for the program, and ODOE is hoping to expand our reach to low- and moderate-income Oregonians, organizations that serve Oregonians with low-incomes, and other historically and currently underserved communities to participate in the program. Our team is launching a process to update the program’s administrative rules, and we hope to hear from the community about how we can better reach potential program participants. Draft rule changes are designed to encourage more participation from service providers, such as affordable housing organizations. We’d like to hear more about other barriers communities face, what information they need to participate, and suggestions for outreach and marketing methods to better get the word out about the program.
ODOE held its first meeting on January 27. A second virtual meeting on February 2 will cover same content and welcome feedback from attendees. Oregonians are also invited to weigh in through our online public comment portal. Learn more and find meeting log-in information on our website.
*Batteries Are Included
Speaking of energy storage, in our 2020 Biennial Energy Report and on our blog this month, we dive into the rise of energy storage.
Some energy resources, like petroleum fuels or natural gas, are easily stored in tanks and pipelines to be distributed when it’s needed. Electricity is another story – generating facilities like power plants, wind farms, and solar facilities produce power that’s sent to the grid and immediately used in homes and businesses. Typically, in the United States, we have about 25 days’ worth of gasoline stored and ready for daily consumption, and about 35 days of natural gas stored. For electricity, it’s less than a few hours’ worth.
While electricity can't be stored in tanks and pipelines, it can be stored in batteries – ranging from the AAAs in your TV remote to a several-kilowatt battery for your home to 1 megawatt or greater for utility-scale storage. Residential battery storage systems are just what they sound like: large rechargeable batteries designed to store and deliver electricity to a home. They can be charged by the grid or with an onsite generator, like rooftop solar. The electricity stored in the batteries can provide power to the home during an outage or to supplement regular electricity use in the home. Batteries can also be sized up, 1 megawatt or greater, to provide additional capacity to the electric grid. Utility-scale storage allows more flexibility for electricity providers to manage generation, transmission, and distribution – particularly for storing renewable electricity. A utility-scale solar facility, for example, produces electricity when the sun shines – but if not all of the electricity is needed as it’s produced, it can become wasted energy. If that solar facility has storage onsite, it can store the extra solar-generated power to be used after the sun goes down.
Learn more about energy storage on our blog.
Go Electric Oregon Website Gets Fresh New Look
In 2018, the state launched the Go Electric Oregon website, a resource designed to track our progress toward Oregon's zero emission vehicle adoption goals. With more than 43,000 electric vehicles on our roads now, the Oregon Department of Energy led an effort to update the website to feature even more ZEV news, information for potential buyers and fleet managers, tips for charging, available incentives, and more.
The site will continue to track Oregon's progress toward our bold goals, established in 2019, including having at least 250,000 registered ZEVs on our roads by 2025, and having at least 90 percent of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2035. Check out the improved website at goelectric.oregon.gov, and share your electric ride on social media with #GoElectricOR.
Administrative Rules Under Development for New Incentive Programs
Last year, the Oregon Legislature created two new programs housed at the Oregon Department of Energy. The Community Renewable Energy Grant Program will offer grants to Oregon Tribes, public bodies, and consumer-owned utilities for planning and developing community renewable energy and energy resilience projects. The Energy Efficient Wildfire Rebuilding Incentive Program will offer funding support for energy efficient rebuilding of residential and commercial structures that were destroyed during the 2020 Labor Day wildfires.
The ODOE Team is working on standing up the programs, including developing administrative rules. Follow the rulemaking processes on our website, weigh in through our public comment portal, and sign up for email updates for opportunities to weigh in with your thoughts. We hope to launch both programs in the coming months!
Reports from Around the Agency
The Energy team has officially launched development of our 2022 Biennial Energy Report. Due on November 1, the report will include energy facts and figures, the latest on resources and technology, energy 101s, and policy briefs. Please take our brief survey by February 14 to weigh in on what you'd like to see in our 2022 report! We also welcome more detailed feedback through our online comment portal.
This month, ODOE also kicked off development of a floating offshore wind study, assigned to our agency in 2021 by the Legislature and due in September this year. Our draft floating offshore wind literature review is now available online, and ODOE is accepting feedback from energy stakeholders and the public through our online comment portal through February 18. Sign up to receive email updates for future meetings and opportunities to weigh in.
Oregon Department of Energy staff were well-represented during January Legislative Days. Director Janine Benner and Senior Policy Analysts Rob Del Mar and John Cornwell provided an update on HB 2021 implementation, and Senior Climate Policy Analyst Maya Buchanan joined Oregon Global Warming Commission Chair Cathy Macdonald and Commissioner David Ford for an update on the Natural and Working Lands proposal. Now we'll turn our attention to the short session, which begins February 1.
On January 7, ODOE Director Janine Benner joined the Salem City Club for a virtual conversation on "Powering the Future." Janine gave an overview of Oregon's energy landscape and featured our 2020 Biennial Energy Report. If you missed it, you can listen to a recording on the City Club's website.
Janine will also join the Eugene City Club on February 4 to serve as a moderator for a discussion on nuclear energy. More information about how to tune in is on the City Club's website.
On January 20, ODOE Energy Analyst Roger Kainu joined the City of Corvallis for a work session on Home Energy Scoring to provide technical assistance and guidance as the City Council discusses a potential Home Energy Scoring policy for the city.
The federal Energy Transitions Initiative Partnership Project is now accepting applications from remote, island, and islanded communities for technical assistance to transform their energy systems and increase energy resilience. Communities are encouraged to review the eligibility criteria and contact an ETIPP regional partner with questions about eligibility and the application process. Applications are due April 15.
In case you missed it, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality's Clean Vehicle Rebate programs made big changes for the new year. Low- and moderate-income electric vehicle buyers can now get a rebate up to $5,000 for a used battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle, and up to $7,500 for a new battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Learn more about incentives on the Go Electric Oregon website.
We're hiring! We are currently recruiting for a Utility Energy Analyst 3 on our Energy Facility Siting Team, a Senior Incentives Analyst (PA3) on our Energy Development Services Team, and a Limited Duration Senior Developer on our IT Team. Learn more.
The Oregon Legislature assigned ODOE several new studies to complete over the next year. Visit ODOE's website to learn more about the studies – including floating offshore wind, small-scale renewable energy, and renewable hydrogen – and sign up for email updates on study progress, public meetings, and opportunities to weigh in.
Volunteers are currently being recruited to serve on the Oregon Hanford Cleanup Board. The 20-member board provides input to the U.S. Department of Energy and its regulators on the Hanford Nuclear Site cleanup. Learn More.
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, is also recruiting potential new members. Contact Todd Cornett, ODOE's Assistant Director for Siting and the Council Secretary, with questions.
Trying to reach an ODOE team member? Emails to ODOE staff should be directed to @energy.oregon.gov (replacing @oregon.gov). Old email addresses will continue to redirect for a while, but please update your address books with the new version. Some ODOE team members' phone numbers have also changed – check out our Contact Us webpage for updated information.
COVID-19 continues to influence how Oregonians live their daily lives. ODOE's Salem office remains closed to public walk-in traffic, but our services are available. ODOE meetings are being held remotely. Keep an eye on our online calendar and sign up for emails to receive meeting notices and information on how to participate.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Community Meeting on Oregon Solar + Storage Rebate Program | February 2, 2022 | Via Webinar
Energy Code Stakeholder Panel | March 15, 2022 | Via Webinar
Energy Facility Siting Council | February 24-25, 2022 | Via Webinar
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)