Technology Reviews

Hydropower

Total Capacity in Oregon (2019): 8,303 MW

Facilities in Oregon (0.03 to 2,160 MW): 94 *includes 7 facilities cross state borders

Total Generation (2018): 35,442,773 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 22,125,769 MWh

Total Exports (2018): 13,317,004 MWh

Biomass

Total Capacity in Oregon: 288 MW

Facilities in Oregon (1.5 to 51.5 MW): 16

Total Generation (2018): 738,296 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 700,841 MWh

Total Exports (2018): 37,454 MWh

Conduit Hydropower

Total Capacity in Oregon: 4,140 MW

Facilities in Oregon (6.5 to 689 MW): 18

Total Generation (2018): 17,922,777 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 10,876,934 MWh

Total Exports (2018): 7,045,842 MWh

Solar Energy

Total Capacity in Oregon (2019): 592 MW

Facilities in Oregon (2019): 18,000+ Residential/Commercial

(1 kW to 56 MW) and 77 Utility-Scale

Total Generation (2018): 776,000 MWh

In-State Consumption (2018): 680,499 MWh

Total Exports: (2018): 95,501 MWh

Natural Gas

Total Capacity in Oregon: 4,140 MW

Facilities in Oregon (6.5 to 689 MW): 18

Total Generation (2018): 17,922,777 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 10,876,934 MWh

Total Exports (2018): 7,045,842 MWh

Wind Power

Total MW Capacity in Oregon: 3,415 MW

Facilities in Oregon (1.65 to 290 MW): 46 (3 under construction)

Total Generation (2018): 7,447,442 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 2,396,878 MWh

Total Exports (2018): 5,050,564 MWh

Onshore Wind Potential

A 2012 NREL study indicates Oregon has technical potential for 27 GW of onshore wind power. Much of this technical potential along the Cascades and in Southeastern Oregon is undeveloped due to challenges finding sites for projects and transmission corridors that meet the requirements to limit environmental effects from wind projects on sensitive environments and communities, as well as costs.

Coal

Total Capacity in Oregon: 0 MW *Boardman Coal Plant closed 10/2020

Facilities in Oregon: 0 *Boardman Coal Plant closed 10/2020

Total Generation (2018): 1,476,244 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 12,681,244 MWh

Total Imports (2018): 11,204,853 MWh

Geothermal Energy

Total Capacity in Oregon: 26.9 MW

Facilities in Oregon (1.75 to 22 MW): 3

Total Generation (2018): 176,235 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 59,389 MWh

Total Imports (2018): 116,846 MWh

Biogas and Renewable Natural Gas

Total MW Capacity in Oregon: 52.6 MW

Facilities in Oregon (0.07 MW – 6.4 MW): 25

Total Generation (2018): 299,000 MWh

Total Consumption (2018): 55,589 MWh

Total Exports (2018): 243,411 MWh

Nuclear

Oregon Total Capacity and Facilities: 0

Oregon Consumption (2018): 1,390,000 MWh

The United States is the world’s largest producer of nuclear power, which supplies around 20 percent of the nation’s electricity.

Small Modular Nuclear Reactors

Total Capacity and Facilities in Oregon: 0

Range of Potential Sizes: 60 – 250 MW per module

Oregon-based NuScale developed the first modular reactor to receive design approval by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Petroleum

Fossil fuel extracted from beneath the earth’s crust that includes gasoline, diesel, heating oil, lubricants, and other fuels we use for space heating, industrial equipment and transportation. Oregon imports the petroleum that it uses

Residential Energy Storage

Peak Power Capacity in Oregon: 670 kW

Facilities in Oregon: 291

Maximum Stored Energy in Oregon: 1,440 kWh

Range of Sizes: 2.4 to 46 kWh

Utility-Scale Storage

Peak Power Capacity in Oregon (2019): 5 MW

Facilities in Oregon (2019): 1 (5 MW)

Total Capacity of Storage Under Construction: 430 MW

Maximum Stored Energy in Oregon (2019): 1.25 MWh

Total Energy Discharged (2018): 545 MWh

Demand Response

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s Seventh Power Plan identified demand response as the least-cost solution for providing new peaking capacity.

Portland General Electric’s Smart Grid Test Bed is a nationally recognized project looking to deploy demand response at-scale across three selected geographic areas.

Advanced Meter Infrastructure or “Smart Meters”

By the end of 2018, electric utilities had deployed smart meters to approximately 128 million customers across the United States, with the majority of those installations for residential customers. In Oregon over the same period, utilities have deployed nearly 1.8 million AMR and AMI meters, with more than 48 percent penetration among commercial and industrial customers, and 87 percent penetration among residential customers.

Electric Vehicle Chargers 

Public Electric Vehicle Charge Points in Oregon: 1,796

Public EV Charging Locations or Stations: 656

Level 2 Chargers: 1,361

DC Fast Chargers (Level 3): 384

Electric Vehicles

Number of electric vehicles registered in Oregon: 31,9771

Number of battery electric vehicles in Oregon: 20,2512

Number of plug-in hybrid EVs in Oregon: 11,7263

Number of public EV chargers in Oregon: 1,7964

Hydrogen Cars

Fuel cell vehicles registered in Oregon: 1

Fueling facilities in Oregon: 0

Fun fact: FCEVs emit only water from their tailpipes

Combined Heat and Power

Installed Capacity in Oregon: ~1,700 MW

Sites in Oregon: 30+

Sites range in size from a few hundred kilowatts to several hundred megawatts, and are located at a variety of industrial facilities like pulp and paper mills, lumber mills, wastewater treatment plants, and universities.

Resilient Microgrids

Microgrids in Oregon are employed in a wide range of situations today and most often rely on diesel or propane generators to provide emergency back-up power in case of a grid outage. These types of systems are especially common with certain types of commercial and industrial customers. Meanwhile, rapid declines in the cost for solar and battery storage systems have led to an emerging interest in the deployment of microgrid systems based on these technologies, particularly at facilities that provide critical lifeline services to communities.

Marine Hydrokinetic Energy

Total MW Capacity in Oregon: 0

Facilities in Oregon: 2 test sites

Marine energy is an emerging technology resource. There is one gridconnected facility in the United States.

Carbon Capture and Storage

There are currently no large-scale projects (capturing more than one metric ton of carbon dioxide per year) in Oregon. There are currently six operating and five planned projects in the United States. Worldwide, there are another 13 operating projects and two planned projects.

Power-to-Gas

Established technology in Europe; emerging in the U.S.

NW Natural and Eugene Water & Electric Board and Bonneville Environmental Foundation are evaluating an 8.5 MW project opportunity in Oregon.

Douglas County PUD in Washington is planning a 5 MW facility