Pumped storage hydropower has been around for decades. It acts as a battery and stores energy for when it’s needed on the grid. But Washington lawmakers wanted to know more about it. So, they asked for an informational study.Read More
Supporters say the project promotes renewable energy and economic growth. People against the wind farm have raised concerns over potential impacts on local landscapes, wildlife and property values.Read More
Brothers Sephen and Davante Martinez watch a presentation by nonprofit Spark Northwest project manager Haya Muñoz, center, at St. Michael’s Episcopal Mission in Yakima. (Credit: Courtney Flatt / NWPB) Listen […]Read More
A transmission line silhouetted by blue sky. The Yakama Nation is planning a new sort of battery, called advanced rail energy storage. (Credit: Austin Taylor / Flickr Creative Commons) Listen […]Read More
A new bill making its way through the Washington Legislature would require county and tribal approval for new wind and solar projects that go through the state’s Energy Facility Site […]Read More
Horse Heaven Hills, in southeastern Washington, with Webber Canyon in the distance. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee approved a large-scale renewable energy project along 24 miles of ridgelines in the area. […]Read More
One of the electrical switchyards at Grand Coulee Dam. (Credit: Bureau of Reclamation) Listen (Runtime 0:56) Read There’s a transfer happening at Grand Coulee Dam. After years of planning, the […]Read More
The first new wind technicians to pass through Avangrid’s National Training Center in Sherman County, Oregon. (Credit: Avangrid) Listen (Runtime 1:02) Read When Juan Flores started his first job fixing […]Read More
How pumped storage hydropower works with an upper and lower reservoir. (Credit: Tennessee Valley Authority) Listen (Runtime 1:00) Read Washington state wants to learn more about an old type of […]Read More
State and federal leaders cut the ribbon to open the Grid Storage Launchpad at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. (Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory) Listen (Runtime 1:02) Read Scientists hope there’s […]Read More
At a Lower Snake River dams forum in the Tri-Cities, Chuck Bender, who said his family members are tugboat operators, fell to his knees in front of U.S. Rep. Dan […]Read More
Workers pour concrete into a transmission line trench and place caution tape into place for an underground electrical line. (Credit: Washington State Department of Transportation / Flickr Creative Commons) Listen […]Read More
Wind turbines are pictured along a rural road. Washington will have to develop renewable energy projects to meet its carbon-free goals. A lot of that development will likely happen in […]Read More
A controversial wind farm that was set to be the largest in Washington has been slashed nearly in half. (Credit: John McIntyre / Flickr Creative Commons) Listen (Runtime 1:06) Read […]Read More
A wind farm. (Credit: Roberta Schonborg / Flikr Creative Commons) Listen (Runtime 1:00) Read Looking back on this past winter, some Northwest utilities have noticed they were really close to […]Read More
A view from the edge of the cliff where the Goldendale Energy Storage Project could be built. An underground tunnel would carry water from a upper reservoir to a reservoir […]Read More
Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. Gov. Jay Inslee and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray said removing the four dams on the Lower Snake isn’t feasible right now. CREDIT: Bonneville […]Read More
File photo of solar panels. (Credit: Sarah Swenty / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) Listen (Runtime 1:01) Read Not everyone loves renewable energy development, but a new project in Washington […]Read More
Several low-activity waste containers sit at Hanford, while one high-level waste canister lays in the foreground. [Photo courtesy of Washington Department of Ecology.] Read A massive melter intended to help […]Read More
The Ice Harbor Dam on the Snake River. CREDIT: BPA Listen (Runtime 1:02) Read At a Congressional hearing in Richland, Wash., designed to defend the four Lower Snake River dams […]Read More
A court battle over gas stoves in California is sowing seeds of uncertainty for energy policies in the West, as cities in Washington and Oregon seek to limit the use of natural gas in new homes and buildings.Read More
A view from the edge of the cliff where the Goldendale Energy Storage Project could be built. An underground tunnel would carry water from a upper reservoir to a reservoir […]Read More
An illustration of a potential floating wind turbine under the water. Credit: University of Maine Listen (Runtime 1:00) Read With the climate rapidly changing, researchers are trying to find ways […]Read More
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., leads the panel during an organizational meeting for the 118th Congress, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023. […]Read More
The states of Washington and Oregon have submitted a joint bid to the U.S. Department of Energy to get a share of $8 billion that Congress set aside to launch "Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs" around the nation. But good luck trying to learn what exactly the bi-state bid entails, other than the safe presumption that at least one industrial hydrogen production facility would Read More
A view from the edge of the cliff where the Goldendale Energy Storage Project could be built. An underground tunnel would carry water from a upper reservoir to a reservoir […]Read More
Cathy McMorris Rodgers gives her victory speech after claiming an eighth term as a US Representative for Washington’s 5th District. Credit Emily Schwing/N3 LISTEN (Runtime: 1:05) READ If U.S. Rep. […]Read More
To recover healthy salmon populations, one or more of the Snake River dams must be breached, in addition to other actions, according to a new draft report released Tuesday by federal officials.Read More
Workers walk at the end of the workday on the site of a facility being constructed to treat nuclear waste, Thursday, June 2, 2022, during a tour of the Hanford […]Read More
Storing renewable energy is critical in the Northwest. A draft review for the region’s largest proposed energy storage project is available for public comment.Read More
Solar power installations on home rooftops are surging in Oregon and Washington state. Alongside, you may have noticed an uptick in ads pitching rooftop solar, or even gotten an in-person solicitation. Some of the sales pitches contain dubious or potentially misleading claims. And now, consumer watchdogs are urging homeowners to do their homework before signing any contract.Read More
Breaching the dams would be the best way to remove Snake River salmon runs from the Endangered Species List and the best way to maintain treaty and trust obligations with tribes, according to the report. It could cost from $10.3 billion to $27.2 billion.Read More
Four members of the U.S. Congress recently got a close look at Washington’s Snake River dams.Read More
An Australian company is eying property next to the soon-to-close coal power plant in Centralia, Washington, to build a big hydrogen fuel production facility. Fortescue Future Industries went public with its plans during a hydrogen symposium hosted by the Economic Alliance of Lewis County on Thursday.Read More
Private electric utilities in the Pacific Northwest are planning tens of millions of dollars in upgrades to reduce the risk that their power lines could spark wildfires during extreme weather. Utilities such as Pacific Power, Avista, Idaho Power, Portland General Electric and Puget Sound Energy are either required to or are voluntarily submitting wildfire mitigation plans. Read More
More Murrow News Stories PULLMAN, WASH – Energy bills for the month of January increased. Wildlife ecology major Mackenzie Perry said her electric bill was up nearly $40 from the […]Read More
Avista says it plans to cut power to parts of its coverage area Tuesday as a way to reduce demand for power. Spokane saw rolling outages Monday, and will likely see more on Tuesday. Residents of the Tri-Cities region have been warned they could also see outages this week for up to four hours at a time.Read More
A secret cache of clean energy is lurking in sewers, and there are growing efforts to put it to work in the battle against climate change.Read More
Federal safety officials found it necessary this past week to remind Americans not to put gasoline in plastic bags. Hey folks, that's dangerous. Remember?Read More
The focus on windmills ignores the evident fact that — as Abbott acknowledged on local TV — every kind of power generation fell short in this storm. In fact, significantly more natural gas and coal went offline than renewables. But that doesn't suggest fossil fuels were uniquely to blame either — they were responsible for more production, so it's no surprise they were the Read More
Set aside the pandemic. Ignore the collapse in demand. Forget about the time oil prices went negative. Look at everything else that happened this year, and — Well. Oil still had a pretty terrible year.Read More
The Jan. 6 auction was set before the end of the comment and nominations period. If leases are finalized before Joe Biden takes office, they could be difficult to revoke.Read More
Many states – including Oregon and Washington – have set renewable energy goals. But, there’s a problem. The wind isn’t always blowing, and the sun isn’t always shining. That’s why wind and solar power are variable, or intermittent. Enter pumped hydro. It's not a new technology, but it is gaining more interest regionally.Read More
A federal judge has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to produce a full environmental review. Until then, oil must stop flowing through the controversial pipeline.Read More
Coal use has plummeted in part because it's more expensive than natural gas or renewable energy. Mines are shutting down, and some power plants may run out of places to stockpile coal. Read More
Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are using food waste to create renewable energy. Each farm produces enough to power about 1,500 homes. This helps prevent the release of methane, a greenhouse gas.Read More
Bob Murray, the owner of Murray Energy, pushed the Trump administration to roll back numerous coal regulations. But he says the industry needs even more help from the government.Read More
A proposed energy storage project in the Columbia Basin is drawing concern from bird advocates. They’re worried new water ponds could attract waterfowl and eagles that could then be struck by nearby wind turbines.Read More
In the Northwest, some of the oldest wind farms were built in the early 2000s. When the turbines get too old, wind farm owners can either upgrade to newer technology or shut down the farms. Those processes are called re-powering or decommissioning, respectively. How do you recycle wind technology?Read More
The federal government recently doled out two “green findings” to the Northwest’s only commercial nuclear reactor. The Columbia Generating Station, near Richland, is run by the utility Energy Northwest. Green findings are the lowest infractions for the nuclear industry, but it’s not the only time the plant’s been in trouble.Read More
