Renewable energy facility is coming to Eastern Oregon

(FEBRUARY 17, 2019) Electricity often comes from power plants that use fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, or natural gas. Eventually, the planet will have no more fossil fuels to generate electricity. However, electricity can also come from renewable energy sources, such as wind and sunshine, that are not used up.

Portland General Electric (PGE) and NextEra Energy plan to build a new power plant that uses renewable energy. The name of the plant is the Wheatridge Renewable Energy Facility, and it will be located in Lexington in Eastern Oregon. The companies chose Eastern Oregon because it has strong winds and lots of sunshine.

The plant will have three important parts. The first part includes as many as 120 wind turbines. The turbines are 300 feet above the ground. When the winds spin the turbine, it generates electricity. Solar panels are the second part. The solar panels convert sunshine into electricity. The third part of the new power plant will be batteries to store the electricity. The capacity of the batteries will be the largest in Oregon, and one of the largest in the country, says PGE.

Batteries are very important for renewable energy. This is because the wind does not always blow, and the sun does not always shine. Batteries save energy for later use.

“We feel pretty certain that this is what the future of renewable power looks like. It’s more diverse, and it’s more flexible. Ultimately, it helps us reach the goal of maintaining more reliability in the system, maintaining the affordability of the system, and, yet, moving to that clean energy future,” says Steve Corson, who works for PGE.

Construction begins later this year. The wind turbines will begin working in 2020. The solar panels and batteries will begin working in 2021. The project will cost $160 million.