Our Work in Energy
At Western Resource Advocates, our Energy Program seeks to reduce the environmental impacts of electricity production in the Interior West by accelerating the transition of power production in the region from conventional, environmentally damaging fossil fuel technologies to clean energy technologies--with a focus on reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the region's power sector.
Our energy work focuses on four main areas:
- State and Regional Clean Energy Advocacy
- Region-wide Transmission Planning (such as the placement of new renewable energy projects and associated power lines)
- Research and Analysis
- Reducing Reliance on Conventional Coal Generation.
State and Regional Advocacy for Renewables and Energy Efficiency
Western Resource Advocates works to develop and implement policies and market mechanisms in the West to increase the use of renewable energy and encourage energy efficiency, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the power sector. We advocate before state public utility regulatory commissions; state legislatures; and the Western Governors' Association. Our efforts also include direct outreach to utilities, community organizations, and other industry stakeholders.
Over the last 15 years, the Energy Program has made considerable progress in promoting clean energy. In 1995, there was no wind generation in the Interior West, and solar energy sources were rare. Today there are thousands of megawatts of wind generation online in the Interior West, as well as significant amounts of solar and geothermal power generation. In 1995 utilities in the region spent less than $2 million per year on energy efficiency; today that figure is well over $200 million per year.
While these gains are significant, much more dramatic investments in clean energy technologies will be needed if we are to address the problem of climate change. Western Resource Advocates is working on increasing such investments by helping to identify and extend best practices in technological innovation; analyzing additional costs of continued operation of existing coal-fired power plants; and promoting more effective delivery strategies for energy efficiency and distributed generation.
It is our goal to increase the use of renewable energy, energy efficiency and other low-carbon energy technologies so that by 2020, regional GHG emissions are 20% below 2005 levels and on a path to achieve 80% reduction by 2050.
Promoting Regional Transmission Planning
Western Resource Advocates supports the development of zero-carbon renewable resources in a manner in that minimizes impacts on air, land and water in the West. We also advocate protecting public lands, wildlife, and other natural resource values by identifying the most appropriate locations for siting renewable energy projects and transmission corridors.
We recognize that transmission planning is part of a larger resource planning process that looks equally at energy from both demand and supply-side perspectives. Increased utilization of demand-side technologies—including efficiency, demand management, combined heat and power, smart grids, and distributed generation—can reduce the need for transmission and utility scale generation and eliminate a potential rush to meet future energy demands through a massive, fast-tracked transmission build-out.
Part of advocating for regional transmission planning involves trying to change the way transmission is perceived. Many planners and policy leaders see transmission expansion as the primary answer to meeting growing energy needs, but WRA views transmission as the end result of a thorough planning process; it is our goal that only transmission that is truly needed will actually be built. New transmission for renewable energy should be the result, and not the starting point, of careful analysis of our energy options; sometimes the best transmission line is the one that is never built.
Research and Analysis
Our advocacy work is based on research and analysis that investigates economic, environmental, social, health, and safety aspects of energy decisions. Some of our past research publications include Solar Solutions: Incorporating Photovoltaics into Public Infrastructure; Renewable Energy Atlas of the West: A Guide to the Region's Resource Potential; and The Balanced Energy Plan for the Interior West. In addition we have studied the economic and community benefits of innovative ways of incorporating solar energy into public infrastructure and have reviewed the role of community-based organizations in delivering energy efficiency measures.
At WRA we have also analyzed the economic foundations of several clean energy programs that are now in common use. These include tradable renewable energy credits and using wind energy as a hedge against high natural gas prices. In addition, we have demonstrated the impact of aggressive energy efficiency programs on the growth of electricity sales across the US and analyzed the impacts of various technological and site factors on the price of wind energy.
Currently we are assessing energy storage options in the West, as well as building a database to track clean energy trends.
Reducing Coal-Fired Power Generation
Western Resource Advocates has a long history of working to transition the West away from traditional coal resources for energy production. We played a significant role in the creation of the landmark "Clean Air, Clean Jobs Act" in Colorado and are working to secure coal plant retirements in Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada.