The Energy Trust of Oregon has issued a draft strategic planning document for public comment. In it, the public goods administrator for private electric and natural gas utilities in Oregon, outlines future potential for energy efficiency acquisition.
The plan outlines two major goals for the organization;
- Help utilities and their ratepayers acquire all cost-effective energy efficiency, saving between 200 and 244 average megawatts between 2009 and 2013 and 8.5 million to 19.4 million therms of natural gas.
- Accelerate the rate at which new renewable energy generation is produced, helping to achieve Oregon’s 2025 goal of meeting at least 8% of retail electrical load from small scale renewable projects.
A significant reason for the range of potential savings in energy efficiency is a result of the financial resource uncertainty for the Trust over the time frame. The public benefit charge funding stream will likely provide less financial resource than is needed to capture all the cost-effective energy savings available in Trust territories. Utility integrated resource plans (IRP) will likely indicate the size of this resource and the potential for additional utility funding to cover that delta is possible but not a given. This will require rate proposals and regulatory approvals to become a reality. A copy of the Draft Strategic Plan is available at www.energytrust.org.