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Energy Trust of Oregon is an independent nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon, United States. Energy Trust offers services, cash incentives, and other stuff to customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas, and Avista in Oregon and customers of NW Natural in Washington.
In 1999, the Oregon Legislature passed an electric industry restructuring law, SB 1149, aimed at establishing a stable funding source for residential, commercial, and industrial electric efficiency, renewable energy, and market transformation programs. [1] This legislation mandates the state’s largest investor-owned electric utilities to collect a 3% public purpose charge and authorizes the Oregon Public Utility Commission(OPUC) to allocate a portion of these funds to an independent non-governmental entity.
In 2000 and 2001, the OPUC, along with interested parties, played a pivotal role in establishing the nonprofit Energy Trust of Oregon. Governed by an independent board of directors, the organization operates under a grant agreement with the OPUC. In 2001, Energy Trust formalized its structure by adopting articles of incorporation and bylaws, and appointed its inaugural executive director. Additionally, Energy Trust established three advisory councils—the Conservation Advisory Council, Renewable Energy Advisory Council, and Diversity Advisory Council—to offer stakeholder insights on programs, budgets, and action plans.
Energy Trust commenced operations in March 2002, tasked with investing in cost-effective electric energy efficiency, subsidizing above-market costs of renewable energy resources, implementing market transformation programs, providing services with minimal administrative and program support costs, and ensuring high levels of customer satisfaction.
Energy Trust is funded by customers of Portland General Electric, Pacific Power, NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. Customers of these five utilities pay a dedicated percentage of their utility bills to support a variety of energy efficiency and renewable energy services and programs.
As a result of SB 1149, which applies to electric energy, PGE and Pacific Power collect a 3% public purpose charge from their customers to support the following:
Funding for natural gas efficiency comes from public purpose charges paid by Oregon customers of NW Natural, Cascade Natural Gas and Avista. This funding is provided pursuant to settlement agreements in OPUC proceedings. Energy Trust administers the funds through contracts established with NW Natural in 2003, Cascade Natural Gas in 2006 and Avista in 2017. In 2009, through an agreement with NW Natural and the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission, Energy Trust also began serving NW Natural's customers in Washington.
In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed the Oregon Renewable Energy Act, SB 838. [2] Through the legislation, the collection of the 3% public purpose charge was extended from 2012 to 2026, and PGE and Pacific Power were allowed to seek additional electric efficiency funding above the 3% public purpose charge with the goal of avoiding the need to purchase more expensive electricity. Energy Trust receives supplemental funds authorized by the legislation.
As part of its oversight of Energy Trust, the OPUC adopted performance measures against which to benchmark Energy Trust's performance.
Energy Trust provides the OPUC with quarterly and annual reports measuring actual performance against the target metrics. Energy Trust also maintains operational goals to maximize investments.
In general, Energy Trust operates its programs through contracts with service providers. A volunteer, non-stakeholder board of directors oversees Energy Trust management, provides strategic and policy direction and approves the organization’s budget and major expenditures. The board carries out its oversight with guidance from three advisory councils: Conservation Advisory Council, Diversity Advisory Council and Renewable Energy Advisory Council. [3]
Energy Trust offers cash incentives for a variety of energy-efficiency improvements and renewable energy systems for homes, businesses, industrial facilities, agricultural operations and public and nonprofit buildings. Other assistance provided includes information, services and technical assistance to help ratepayers identify and prioritize projects that fit their budget and goals. Incentives and assistance are offered through the following program categories: [4]
Portland General Electric (PGE) is a Fortune 1000 public utility based in Portland, Oregon. It distributes electricity to customers in parts of Multnomah, Clackamas, Marion, Yamhill, Washington, and Polk counties – 44% of the inhabitants of Oregon. Founded in 1888 as the Willamette Falls Electric Company, the company has been an independent company for most of its existence, though was briefly owned by the Houston-based Enron Corporation from 1997 until 2006 when Enron divested itself of PGE during its bankruptcy.
The Energy Policy Act of 1992, effective October 24, 1992, is a United States government act. It was passed by Congress and set goals, created mandates, and amended utility laws to increase clean energy use and improve overall energy efficiency in the United States. The Act consists of twenty-seven titles detailing various measures designed to lessen the nation's dependence on imported energy, provide incentives for clean and renewable energy, and promote energy conservation in buildings.
Austin Energy is a publicly owned utility providing electrical power to the city of Austin, Texas and surrounding areas. Established in 1895, the utility is a department of the City of Austin and returns its profits to the city's general fund to finance other city services. Austin Energy is the United States' 7th largest public utility, serving more than 500,000 customers and more than one million residents within a service area of approximately 437 square miles (1,130 km2), including Austin, Travis County and a small portion of Williamson County.
The California Public Utilities Commission is a regulatory agency that regulates privately owned public utilities in the state of California, including electric power, telecommunications, natural gas and water companies. In addition, the CPUC regulates common carriers, including household goods movers, limousines, rideshare services, self-driving cars, and rail crossing safety. The CPUC has headquarters in the Civic Center district of San Francisco, and field offices in Los Angeles and Sacramento.
The energy policy of the United States is determined by federal, state, and local entities. It addresses issues of energy production, distribution, consumption, and modes of use, such as building codes, mileage standards, and commuting policies. Energy policy may be addressed via legislation, regulation, court decisions, public participation, and other techniques.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), established in 1975, is a New York State public-benefit corporation, located in Albany, New York, with regional offices in New York City, Buffalo, and West Valley.
The California Energy Commission, formally the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission, is the primary energy policy and planning agency for California.
A home fuel cell or a residential fuel cell is an electrochemical cell used for primary or backup power generation. They are similar to the larger industrial stationary fuel cells, but built on a smaller scale for residential use. These fuel cells are usually based on combined heat and power (CHP) or micro combined heat and power (m-CHP) technology, generating both power and heated water or air.
Vermont Energy Investment Corporation or VEIC is a non-profit organization in Chittenden County, Vermont that seeks to reduce the economic and environmental costs of energy consumption through energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption. Since its founding in 1986, the organization has been involved in designing energy efficiency and renewable energy programs in North America and worldwide.
Solar power has been growing rapidly in the U.S. state of California because of high insolation, community support, declining solar costs, and a renewable portfolio standard which requires that 60% of California's electricity come from renewable resources by 2030, with 100% by 2045. Much of this is expected to come from solar power via photovoltaic facilities or concentrated solar power facilities.
An Energy Rebate Program, or Energy Credit Incentive Program, provides a cash rebate program for customers planning to install new, energy efficient information technology (IT) equipment or cooling systems. These programs push companies to construct more energy efficient data centers, or to consolidate compute, storage and networking resources via virtualization technologies.
There is a large array of stakeholders that provide services through electricity generation, transmission, distribution and marketing for industrial, commercial, public and residential customers in the United States. It also includes many public institutions that regulate the sector. In 1996, there were 3,195 electric utilities in the United States, of which fewer than 1,000 were engaged in power generation. This leaves a large number of mostly smaller utilities engaged only in power distribution. There were also 65 power marketers. Of all utilities, 2,020 were publicly owned, 932 were rural electric cooperatives, and 243 were investor-owned utilities. The electricity transmission network is controlled by Independent System Operators or Regional Transmission Organizations, which are not-for-profit organizations that are obliged to provide indiscriminate access to various suppliers to promote competition.
Focus on Energy is a statewide program in Wisconsin that offers information and services to help residents and businesses select and install cost-effective solutions that save energy and money.
PECI is a private, non-profit American company based in Portland, Oregon with additional offices in Santa Ana, California and San Francisco, California. PECI designs and manages energy efficiency programs for utility providers, government organizations, and other clients. Some of the organizations PECI has worked with include the U.S. Department of Energy, Avista, Wal-mart, Southern California Edison, the Community Energy Project, Energy Trust of Oregon, Pacific Gas & Electric and the San Diego Natural History Museum.
The Climate Action Plan (CAP) in Boulder, Colorado is a set of strategies intended to guide community efforts for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies have focused on improving energy efficiency and conservation in homes and businesses — the source of nearly three-fourths of local emissions. The plan also promotes strategies to reduce emissions from transportation, which account for over 20 percent of local greenhouse gas sources.
Avista Corporation is an American energy company which generates and transmits electricity and distributes natural gas to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Approximately 1,550 employees provide electricity, natural gas, and other energy services to 359,000 electric and 320,000 natural gas customers in three western states. The service territory covers 30,000 square miles (78,000 km2) in eastern Washington, northern Idaho, and parts of southern and eastern Oregon, with a population of 1.5 million.
The principle of a fuel cell was discovered by Christian Friedrich Schönbein in 1838, and the first fuel cell was constructed by Sir William Robert Grove in 1839. The fuel cells made at this time were most similar to today's phosphoric acid fuel cells. Most hydrogen fuel cells today are of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) type. A PEM converts the chemical energy released during the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen into electrical energy. The Hydrogen Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1990 and Energy Policy Act of 1992 were the first national legislative articles that called for large-scale hydrogen demonstration, development, and research programs. A five-year program was conducted that investigated the production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources and the feasibility of existing natural gas pipelines to carry hydrogen. It also called for the research into hydrogen storage systems for electric vehicles and the development of fuel cells suitable to power an electric motor vehicle.
The Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA) is a non-profit organization working to accelerate energy efficiency in the Pacific Northwest through the acceleration and adoption of energy-efficient products, services and practices. NEEA is supported by and works in partnership with more than 140 Northwest utilities, the Bonneville Power Administration and Energy Trust of Oregon. NEEA's efforts serve Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
Net metering in Michigan was a state program that allowed utility customers to develop renewable energy generation projects on-site at their home or business to meet their own energy needs and reduce their electric bill. As of the end of 2015, Michigan had approximately 2,000 net metering customers. The net metering program was replaced with a inflow/outflow program which charges retail rate for grid energy used and pays for excess sent to the grid at a cost-avoided rate. This cost-avoided rate is much lower than the retail rate and each utility must have their price approved by the state utility board in their rate case.
Home energy upgrades from public utilities are added home energy efficiency and renewable energy features planned or installed by public utilities. Help from a public utility can make it easier for a homeowner to select, install or operate climate-friendly components. The utility might assist with coordinated use of utility-supplied energy, building features, financing, operating options and neighborhood supplied energy.
