Portland - Green Power Purchasing & Generation

Summary

Portland's 2001 Local Action Plan for Global Warming established a goal to purchase 100 percent of the electricity used by municipal facilities from clean, renewable energy sources. A short-term goal of 15,000 megawatt-hours was met in 2003 through a combination of local generation options. This generation mix included a 200 kilowatt (kW) biogas fuel cell, biogas microturbines totaling 120 kW, a 150 kW hydro generator, a 10 kW urban wind turbine and a large purchase of green tags. In order to meet the goal of 100 percent renewable electricity, Portland is investing in several projects. First, Portland is developing the city's biogas resources and brought a 1.7 megawatt (MW) generator online in May 2008. The city is also developing two photovoltaic installations, totaling 350 kW, which will be operational by May 2009. In April 2009, the mayor of Portland announced the goal of installing 5 MW of solar in the city by 2012.