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Alternative Energy Sources in Portland, Oregon

Local utility companies offer a variety of renewable energy options --- including hydro, wind, biomass, and geothermal energy sources --- to residents and business owners in Portland, Oregon. Federal and state tax credits have offered incentives for alternative energy development, leading to the construction of new alternative energy-producing facilities in Oregon and helping offset the region's usage of fossil fuels.

Wind Power
- Wind power is a pollution-free energy source.
  
  Wind sites generate electricity with turbines that move with the wind. The turbine then turns a rotor, powering an electrical generator. The electricity generated by wind turbines is emission-free, making wind a relatively low-impact energy option, although the turbines can affect the habitats of birds and other wildlife. Using multiple, carefully placed wind sites reduces environmental impact while also creating a more stable supply of wind.
Solar Energy and Net Metering
- Portland residents can use net metering to share their solar power with the utility grid.
  
  Passive construction, solar thermal systems and photovoltaic cells can harness solar energy. The Pacific Northwest receives enough sunlight to meet the entire region's energy needs, according to the Renewable Northwest Project, and Portland residents and business owners who have installed solar electric systems can participate in net metering programs. Net metering allows customers to feed surplus solar energy back into the utility's grid during peak hours, eliminating the need for solar power storage systems while reducing electric bills.
Geothermal Energy
- Geothermal power originates deep within the earth.
  
  In some locations, molten magma or underground water carries heat from deep inside the earth near the surface. Geothermal power plants exploit this heat energy, using steam or water heated by the earth to run an electrical generator. Because geothermal energy is more constant than solar or wind energy, both of which are as variable as the weather, geothermal plants help stabilize the supply of alternative energy, providing about 7 percent of the alternative energy supplied by Portland utilities.
Wave and Tidal Power Technologies
- The ocean generates wave and tidal energy.
  
  Wave and tidal energy technologies, which harness the motion of ocean waters to power electrical generators, are not available in Portland as of 2011, although several projects are in development or under construction. These new technologies generate pollution-free energy, and studies are under way to address concerns about the environmental impact wave and tidal power will have on marine ecosystems. Tidal energy, in particular, promises to be significantly more stable than wind or solar energy because the tides are a predictable phenomenon.

Nature