Everett Utility Honored For Leading Way in Wind Power

June 21, 2013

Everett, Everett Government

Snohomish PUD was honored this week for its work on wind power. We’ve written in the past about the PUD installing wind turbines at its operations facility. This week the utility was honored with a Public Power Wind Award. Here’s the official press release describing the award…

PUD wind

One of the wind turbines tested by Snohomish PUD at its operations center.

Snohomish County PUD was honored this week with the 2013 Public Power Wind Award, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America Initiative in partnership with the American Public Power Association. The award recognizes a U.S. public utility each year for its leadership in wind energy. Past recipients include Palo Alto Utilities, Austin Energy and the Nebraska Public Power District.

The PUD is known as a national leader in the development of renewable energy sources. Success in several areas contributed to this year’s award, including that:

* In recent years, 7% to 8% of the PUD’s energy supply has come from wind power projects in the Pacific Northwest, more than any other public power utility in Washington.

* The utility has actively participated in regional forums, which have resulted in more effective policies and programs to better integrate wind into the region’s power grid.

* The PUD is one of a select group of utilities participating in an intra-hour scheduling pilot, organized by the Bonneville Power Administration, to gain experience forecasting and scheduling wind generation within the hour.

* The utility has tested two micro-wind demonstration projects at its operations center to assess performance of different wind turbine units.

* To support customers’ renewable energy projects, the PUD offers a streamlined process with standardized contracts and pricing.

The PUD’s support of wind energy is driven in part by its 2007 Climate Change Policy, which calls for meeting load growth through cost-effective conservation and a diverse mix of renewable energy sources. The utility has formed partnerships with three wind energy facilities: the White Creek Wind Project (Roosevelt, Washington), the Wheat Field Wind Project (Gilliam County, Oregon) and the Hay Canyon Wind Project (Sherman County, Oregon), with a combined capacity of 217 MW.

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