A3
THE ASTORIAN • THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 2022
Utility builds nation’s
fi rst large-scale wind,
solar and battery facility
law requires utilities like PGE
and Pacifi c Power to reduce car-
bon emissions by 100% by 2040.
Nestled in the hills of Morrow
Sheeran said battery stor-
County, hundreds of solar panels
age will help them get there by
and wind turbines are generat-
improving reliability and creat-
ing a product that will soon be in
ing storage that allows the facil-
high demand around the state —
ity to function 24/7.
clean electric energy.
“Sites like this are fi tting into
But storing large amounts of
sort of a larger grid network of
renewable energy has proven
providing reliable, renewable
challenging. Wind and solar only
power that utilities across the
generate power when the sun
West are increasingly drawing
is shining or the wind is blow-
on,” Sheeran said.
ing. Otherwise, fossil fuels kick
To develop Wheatridge, PGE
back in. Now, one major utility
partnered with NextEra Energy
in Oregon is trying to produce
Resources, one of the world’s
energy 24/7 with a boost from a
largest generators of wind and
critical component — batteries.
solar energy and a leader in inte-
Portland General Electric
grated battery storage systems.
built a fi rst-of-its-kind facility
David Lawlor, NextEra’s
that will use an innovative bat-
director of development for the
tery technology supporters are
Pacifi c Northwest, said as bat-
calling a “game
tery
technol-
changer”
for
ogy advances,
PGE’S PUSH FOR
Oregon’s renew-
the facility will
able energy tran-
CLEAN ENERGY IS be able to han-
sition. The bat-
dle more stor-
DRIVEN IN LARGE age. Right now,
teries allow the
Lexington facil-
there are 21 large
PART BY STATE
ity to capture
and small battery
and store elec-
HOUSE BILL 2021. containers at the
tricity even when
facility.
IT’S ONE OF THE
there’s no sun or
“One of the
wind available.
great
things
NATION’S MOST
“I
think
about
having
you’re going to
battery storage
AMBITIOUS
see more of these
integrated into
CLIMATE PLANS,
types of facilities
the other two
in the future,”
is
AND WAS SIGNED technologies,
said
Kristen
it’s already engi-
INTO LAW IN 2021 neered and built
Sheeran, PGE’s
director of sus-
for augmenta-
BY GOV. KATE
tainability strat-
tion,” he said.
egy, on a recent
“So these con-
BROWN. THE
tour. “We’re still
tainers can take
LAW REQUIRES
in the early years
more batteries
of battery stor-
and as the batter-
UTILITIES LIKE
age technology
ies become a lit-
development.”
PGE AND PACIFIC tle less effi cient,
The Wheat-
we add more bat-
POWER TO
ridge Renewable
teries to keep the
Energy Facility
REDUCE CARBON capacity.”
is about 30 miles
Jana
Lehn,
from the utili-
NextEra’s
PV
EMISSIONS BY
ty’s now shut-
Solar Field Tech-
100% BY 2040.
tered
Board-
nician, is one of
man coal plant
the fi rst techni-
and uses the same transmis-
cians cross-trained in all three
sion lines. It started operat-
renewable technologies. She
ing in March and generates 350
said her role at Wheatridge is to
megawatts of clean energy —
make sure the facility and bat-
enough to power about 100,000
teries are working properly and
homes. The batteries store 30
train other technicians.
megawatts, or enough to power
So far, only the solar pan-
Tigard for four hours.
els generate enough energy to
charge the batteries. Lehn said
Powering up
the energy collected by solar
PGE’s push for clean energy
panels produces direct current or
is driven in large part by state
DC voltage similar to car or cell
House Bill 2021. It’s one of the
phone batteries. The DC volt-
nation’s most ambitious climate
age then goes to an inverter, or
plans, and was signed into law in
See Facility, Page A5
2021 by Gov. Kate Brown. The
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Oregon Public Broadcasting
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