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Podcast: Cascade CounterPoint
Episode: QP: Is Affordable, Reliable Electricity a Service of the Past?
Description: Oregon politicians banned the use of coal for electricity generation by 2030 and natural gas by 2040, pushing utilities to rely more on wind and solar energy. These sources often produce less than 10% of Oregon’s electricity needs, forcing utilities to engage in a costly overbuild of wind and solar infrastructure. Given that weather is unpredictable, how much overbuilding will be required to meet demand is unknown.
The grid must always balance supply and demand, and dispatchable energy must quickly adjust. Currently, energy storage at grid scale lasts only four hours before depleting, while wind and solar can be do...