Energy 101: Climate Change + the Energy System
Our 2024 Biennial Energy Report features a set of Energy 101-style pieces designed to build the foundation of Oregon’s energy story. The 101s were developed for people new to energy or specific energy topics, along with those looking for a resource to help tell the story of how energy systems affect their work and interests. One of our 101s focused on climate change effects on the energy system – a timely topic for Earth Month.
Oregon Greenhouse Gas Emissions Share by Source (2021)
From deadly heatwaves to severe storms to increased wildfire risk, Oregon is no stranger to the negative effects of climate change. Climate change is already contributing to extreme heat, drought, wildfires, coastal erosion, and other erratic weather conditions and hazards in Oregon.
Most of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the energy we use every day, including electricity, direct use fuels like natural gas for heating, and transportation fuels. Unless greenhouse gas emissions decline considerably, the effects of climate change on Oregon’s way of life will intensify over the coming decades.
The energy sector plays a unique and important role in climate change – it can be a cause of climate change, can be affected by climate change, and can also be part of the solution.
Climate Change Effects on Energy
Energy remains Oregon’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, accounting for over 83 percent of Oregon’s 2021 emissions. These gases contribute to climate change, which in turn affects Oregon’s energy systems. A changing climate can shift energy demand, alter energy supply, increase energy costs, and have many other effects on the sector.
-
Over the past 70 years, the number of extremely warm days has increased significantly across Oregon, leading to higher energy demand for cooling buildings. These warmer temperatures and more frequent heat waves have created new summer peaks in electricity demand to meet additional cooling needs in homes and workplaces. This puts stress on Oregon’s current electricity systems and creates challenges for utilities to meet demands.
-
With higher temperatures caused by climate change, many areas of Oregon that historically receive snow during the winter are more likely to receive rain. This change in precipitation type will shift decades-long patterns of when hydropower – which accounts for nearly 40 percent of the electricity Oregonians use – is available across the Pacific Northwest.
-
Climate change may also affect the reliability of the region’s energy system. Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather can affect energy facilities and transmission lines, threatening the reliability of the energy services Oregonians need.
-
Extreme flooding and landslides can inundate and block roads and rails, as well as damage pipeline pumping stations and storage facilities for transportation fuels. Increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, flooding, and power outages can disrupt fuel distribution networks and gas stations.
-
As climate change affects Oregon’s energy system physically, it also creates additional financial costs. This can include costs from generating electricity, responding to emergency events like wildfires, repairing infrastructure, and investments in additional heating and cooling equipment in homes and businesses.
-
Climate change has a disproportionate effect on certain communities – particularly environmental justice communities, communities of color, and low-income, rural, and coastal communities – that have been traditionally underrepresented in public processes and typically have less access to resources for adapting to climate change.
Energy Actions to Mitigate and Adapt to Climate Change
While climate change affects the energy sector, certain actions, policy choices, and consumer behaviors can help mitigate climate change or help Oregonians adapt to the changing climate.
-
Energy efficiency means using less energy to perform the same task or produce the same result. Similarly, energy conservation means changing behavior to save energy at certain times, such as waiting to run appliances in the late evening or early morning during a heat wave. Both actions can help address increasing demand for energy, including increased demand resulting from the effects of climate change.
-
Because energy is responsible for most of Oregon’s greenhouse gas emissions, the transition to locally generated, low-carbon resources like wind, solar, and alternative fuels is diversifying Oregon’s electricity supply and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change. Diverse and locally generated resources also increase the electricity system’s resilience to climate change and other emergencies. For example, a local microgrid or solar plus storage installation can keep the power on if the larger grid goes down.
-
Oregon is working to strengthen the energy system’s resilience to the effects of climate change and other disasters. Distributed energy generation, renewable energy, microgrids, and energy storage can improve the reliability of energy on the grid and help the system bounce back following a disaster or other interruption in service.
-
In the transition to a clean energy future, there is a renewed effort to ensure communities that have been traditionally and are currently underrepresented in public processes are not left behind. Recent state energy investments have been designed with equity considerations, including the Oregon Department of Energy’s incentive and rebate programs. Each program is designed to serve disadvantaged communities, including higher rebate amounts for energy projects for low- and moderate-income Oregonians.
The Path Forward
In addition to the mitigation and adaptation examples above, Oregon is leading planning efforts that can guide the state toward meeting its energy and climate goals.
-
In September 2024, ODOE published a new Energy Security Plan that assesses threats and identifies actions to strengthen Oregon’s energy security. Included in the plan is a new risk assessment of Oregon’s energy systems. The assessment finds that of the natural, cyber, and physical hazards evaluated, the highest vulnerability to hazards is associated with a Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake, wildfires, windstorms, and winter storms. Earthquake vulnerabilities are highest in the western parts of Oregon, while other hazards and vulnerabilities are spread across the state. In addition to continuing the strong energy emergency planning and response collaboration among Tribal Nations, energy industries, utilities, and federal, state, and local governments, the plan outlines a set of recommended mitigation measures for addressing risks to the energy sector.
-
ODOE is also leading the development of a new Oregon Energy Strategy, which will identify pathways to achieving the state’s energy policy objectives – including achieving emissions reductions in line with our climate goals. The resulting report will be informed by the invaluable public feedback we’ve received so far, in addition to further engagement efforts this spring and summer. Learn more about the project and how to weigh in and share your priorities on ODOE’s website.
Dive into the complete Energy 101 on climate change – and other topics – on our Biennial Energy Report website.