August 2023 Newsletter
ODOE Wildfire Rebuilding Incentive Extended to 2025
An Oregon Department of Energy incentive program designed to encourage energy efficient rebuilding following the 2020 wildfires has been extended to continue helping communities rebuild. The $10 million Energy Efficient Wildfire Rebuilding Incentive Program was originally authorized to accept applications through May 2023, but many wildfire survivors are still recovering and trying to rebuild their homes and businesses. In response to the ongoing need, the Oregon Legislature passed a bill this year to extend the program to June 1, 2025.
ODOE provides financial support to help improve energy efficiency to make rebuilt homes and businesses more comfortable and provide long-term energy savings. Incentive amounts range from $3,000 up to $18,000, depending on the structure type and the level of efficiency in rebuilding. Oregonians rebuilding site-built homes can receive $3,000 for rebuilding to current energy code or $6,000 for rebuilding to an above-code standard – those rebuilding who are also considered low- or moderate-income can receive higher rebates of $7,500 or $15,000. Some of the communities lost in the wildfires included manufactured home parks, so Oregonians replacing lost or damaged manufactured homes with energy efficient models can receive $12,500, plus an additional $5,000 for installing a qualifying heat pump system to improve heating and cooling.
Commercial, public, and multifamily structures can receive between $3,000 and $10,000, depending on the project and the efficiency level. Affordable multifamily buildings can receive an additional $500 per unit if the affordable housing developer participates in an Oregon Housing and Community Services program.
ODOE’s incentives are available for those who have already rebuilt, are currently rebuilding, or are planning to rebuild a structure that was lost in the wildfires between August 1 and September 30, 2020.
The Oregon Department of Energy is once again accepting applications. Program applications and additional information about incentive amounts, timeline, and eligibility are available on the agency’s website.
Energy Facility Siting Snapshot: Decommissioning
When Oregonians turn on the lights, their power is coming from a number of resources – from renewable resources like wind and solar to fossil fuel-based generation like natural gas. While some electricity is imported into the state, much of our electricity comes from facilities built right here in Oregon. Many large facilities are reviewed and monitored at the state level, so what happens when one of these facilities has reached the end of its life?
The Energy Facility Siting Council — a volunteer, seven-member decision-making body appointed by the Governor and staffed by the Oregon Department of Energy — has established requirements for what happens to the land where facilities are sited, as well as what happens to equipment, like wind turbines and solar panels, when they are decommissioned.
During the original application process for a state-jurisdiction facility, the Council ensures that project developers have the expertise to not only construct and operate a project, but to also retire the facility and restore the site to a useful, non-hazardous condition when the facility permanently closes. That requirement also stands if a facility begins construction but decides not to complete the project – the developer must still return the site to a useful, non-hazardous condition.
The Council also requires a bond or letter of credit to be in effect at all times until the facility is retired. This is in case a project owner is unable or unwilling to complete those decommissioning steps. A bond or letter of credit will provide resources to ensure the state can restore the site if the developer does not. The Council determines the amount for that bond or letter of credit, called the “retirement cost.” One example is from the largest permitted solar project in Oregon, the Obsidian Solar Center, which has a retirement cost of $28.3 million.
Oregonians often ask what happens to wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries when they are no longer operational. The Council requires a materials analysis during the application process and has a standard to minimize waste. The Council also recommends conditions that applicants must agree to, including, when possible, reuse or recycling plans – such as a project solar panel recycling plan, a requirement to use reused or recycled wind turbines to the extent practicable, or annual reporting on the quantities of removed wind turbine components and how they were disposed.
Learn more about the Energy Facility Siting Council, its standards, and the many projects under review or operating in Oregon on ODOE’s website.
Energy Spotlight: Oregon Agriculture
Oregon is well-known for its incredible agricultural sector – filberts, hops, cherries, peppermint, milk products, hay, wine grapes, onions, and much more support local communities across the state. According to the Oregon Department of Agriculture’s annual statistics book, more than 37,000 farms are spread across 16 million Oregon acres, growing or raising more than 200 products valued at over $5 billion.
Oregon agricultural producers use energy for a variety of needs, including powering vehicles and equipment, irrigating fields, cleaning or chilling products, and many other uses. An effective way producers can reduce operating costs is to ensure energy use is as efficient as possible. Additionally, electrifying some farm equipment or vehicles can further reduce energy costs, and reduce pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels at the same time. In the Oregon Department of Energy’s 2022 Biennial Energy Report, we outlined many of the electrification options (and their benefits) in the agricultural sector.
Oregon agricultural producers already rely on electricity as an energy source more than those in other regions. Oregon farms, like many other western states, are more likely to irrigate and more likely to power their irrigation pumps with electricity. Some Oregon agricultural producers are already taking advantage of options to reduce fossil fuel use by making their buildings and equipment more energy efficient, practicing reduced-till and no-till farming, and installing renewable energy generation.
But other electrification opportunities can further reduce fossil fuel use and increase energy efficiency on Oregon farms and ranches. Some equipment, like water pumps, water heating, forklifts, harvesting platforms, trimmers, chainsaws, heat pumps, and others are already available in electric options with growing adoption among farms and ranches. Other technologies are still in development, new to market, or haven’t seen a boost in adoption yet, like electric tractors, medium-duty trucks, on-farm processing equipment, and others.
Electrifying equipment and processes doesn’t just lead to increased efficiency – it can also reduce maintenance time and costs, avoid volatile pricing of fossil-based liquid fuels, reduce exhaust fumes, improve operator safety with fewer moving parts in engines, and support potential renewable energy investments thanks to lower overall energy needs.
The Oregon Department of Energy is here to help! Our Rural & Agricultural Energy Audit Program can help Oregon agricultural producers and rural small businesses better understand their energy use and potential improvements. Learn more on our blog and our website.
The Wheels on the Electric Bus Go Round and Round
It's that time of year for sharpened pencils and new textbooks! It's back-to-school time, and many students in the Beaverton School District will enjoy a clean, quiet ride to school this fall thanks to 13 electric buses in the district’s fleet.
In 2020, Beaverton School District was the first Oregon district to acquire electric school buses — two 120-mile range Blue Bird models that started running routes in 2021. Today, Beaverton has 13 all-electric buses in operation with an additional six expected in early 2024. The district has received public and private support for the buses, including nearly $400,000 in Public Purpose Charge funds for two of the buses. Beaverton has received significant support from Portland General Electric’s Electric School Bus Fund, which is funded through the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality’s Clean Fuels Program.
The Public Purpose Charge program, administered by the Oregon Department of Energy, is funded through the state’s two largest electric utilities, Portland General Electric and Pacific Power. The funds support energy and fleet audits, energy efficiency improvements, and, as of 2020, zero emission vehicles and chargers for Oregon schools.
Beaverton is the second district to request reimbursement for an electric bus with Public Purpose Charge funds – earlier this year, Bend LaPine Schools rolled out its first all-electric school bus with support from the program.
School buses powered by electricity reduce greenhouse gas emissions and other air pollutants, reduce noise pollution, and protect the health of students, drivers, and communities. ODOE’s 2022 Biennial Energy Report shared that transportation is the state’s largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, at 35 percent of all emissions in the state. Electrifying transportation options for Oregonians can significantly reduce emissions, especially as Oregon moves toward its goal of 100 percent clean electricity to power homes, businesses, and electric vehicles by 2040.
Several other school districts across the state have also gone electric or are in the process of ordering new electric buses. In 2022, the Oregon Department of Energy published an electric and alternative fuel school bus cost tool and guidebook to help districts interested in adding zero emission buses to their fleets. The guidebook even featured artwork by Beaverton School District students!
Grounded Podcast: Federal Investments in Energy and Climate
On the latest episode of ODOE's podcast, Grounded, ODOE Federal Grants Officer Jen Senner joins podcast host Erica Hertzsch to break down the significant federal funding that will be coming to the state for energy and climate programs – and how ODOE is working hard to get it in the hands of Oregonians.
Listen in on our blog or through your favorite podcast app!
Reports from Around the Agency
Join our team! Keep an eye on ODOE's website for open recruitments and please share with your networks.
Coming soon! ODOE's 2023 Biennial Zero Emission Vehicle Report, which is chock-full of intresting EV trends and data, will be published in mid-September. Keep an eye on our website or sign up for email updates.
In late July, the U.S. Department of Energy issued guidance to states for Home Energy Rebates (HOMES/HEAR) funded by the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act. ODOE will use that guidance to begin developing potential programs for Oregon. ODOE will hold three listening sessions in October to gather input from the public and stakeholders – meeting information will be available on our website. See our Frequently Asked Questions to learn more about the programs, and sign up for future email updates.
ODOE, alongside our coalition partners Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Energy Trust of Oregon, continues work on Oregon's federal Solar for All application through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. ODOE held a webinar earlier this month to share an update on our progress. If you missed it, you can check it out on our website.
ODOE is kicking off a project to develop an Oregon Energy Security Plan, which will assess critical energy infrastructure and assets in Oregon and the region that support the state’s needs, quantify threats and hazards that may affect those assets or otherwise cause energy insecurity, and propose a series of mitigation measures and actions that Oregon and other partners can implement to reduce risk and improve energy security. The ESP will be led by ODOE and our contractors, with state, federal, local, and private sector partner coordination. The process will involve stakeholder engagement and opportunities for public input. Follow progress on ODOE’s website and sign up for emails to receive future updates and opportunities to weigh in.
ODOE Director Janine Benner presented to the 1,000 Friends of Oregon's Board of Directors on August 28 to provide an overview of Oregn's energy landscape.
See you at the market! ODOE will be at the Salem Saturday Market on Saturday, September 16 with information about ODOE programs and projects. Be sure to swing by to learn how ODOE programs could help you save energy or invest in solar.
Members of the ODOE team joined the FarWest green industry show in Portland on August 23-25 to share information about our Oregon Rural and Agricultural Energy Audit program.
We were excited to see that the Oregon Department of Transportation's new EV charger rebate program has already funded nearly 60 projects.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has opened a 60-day comment period on draft wind energy areas off Oregon's coast. Learn more on BOEM's website and submit your comments by October 16, 2023.
The Energy Facility Siting Council, a governor-appointed volunteer council responsible for the review and oversight of large-scale energy facilities, is recruiting for a new member. Contact Todd Cornett, ODOE's Assistant Director for Siting and the Council Secretary, with questions.
ODOE has several incentive programs up and running. Learn more about our energy incentives on ODOE's website.
Did you know ODOE's Energy Facility Siting Team is currently reviewing about a dozen proposed or amended energy facilities? From wind to solar facilities – to combined wind, solar, and storage facilities – you can learn more about the state's process and how to get involved on our website. You can also sign up to receive a monthly facility siting update showing the latest and greatest.
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Energy Facility Siting Council | September 22, 2023 | Salem and Via Webinar
Federal Home Energy Rebates Listening Sessions | October 4/10/11, 2023 | Via Webinar
Energy Code Stakeholder Panel | November 7, 2023 | Via Webinar
Other Stakeholder Groups (click to see details)
Current Rulemakings (click to see details)