Alternative Energy Resources in Washington
Below is a short summary of alternative energy resources for Washington. For more information on each technology, visit the State Energy Alternatives Technology Options page.
For more information, including links to resource maps, energy statistics, and contacts for Washington, visit EERE's State Activities and Partnerships Web site's Washington page.
Biomass
Studies indicate that Washington has an excellent biomass resource potential. For more state-specific resource information, see Biomass Feedstock Availability in the United States: 1999 State Level Analysis.
Geothermal
Washington has high-temperature resources that are suitable for electricity generation, as well as direct use and heat pump applications. For more information on geothermal resources, including resource maps, visit GeoPowering the West.
Hydropower
Washington has a very good hydropower resource as a percentage of the state's electricity generation. For additional resource information, check out the Idaho National Laboratory's Virtual Hydropower Prospector (VHP). VHP is a convenient geographic information system (GIS) tool designed to assist you in locating and assessing natural stream water energy resources in the United States.
Solar
To accurately portray your state's solar resource, we need two maps. That is because different collector types use the sun in different ways. Collectors that focus the sun (like a magnifying glass) can reach high temperatures and efficiencies. These are called concentrating collectors. Typically, these collectors are on a tracker, so they always face the sun directly. Because these collectors focus the sun's rays, they only use the direct rays coming straight from the sun.
Other solar collectors are simply flat panels that can be mounted on a roof or on the ground. Called flat-plate collectors, these are typically fixed in a tilted position correlated to the latitude of the location. This allows the collector to best capture the sun. These collectors can use both the direct rays from the sun and reflected light that comes through a cloud or off the ground. Because they use all available sunlight, flat-plate collectors are the best choice for many northern states. Therefore, this site gives you two maps: one is the resource for a concentrating collector and one is the resource for a flat-plate collector.
What do the maps mean? For flat-plate collectors, Washington's resource varies across the state. For concentrating collectors, Washington has a widely varied resource. The western region of the state could pursue some types of technologies, but the state does not have enough of a resource for large-scale thermal electricity systems.
The Renewable Energy Atlas of the West estimated the annual solar electricity generation potential in Washington to be 42 billion kWh, based on the following assumptions:
- Rooftop and open space installed systems represent 0.5% of the total area of the state.
- Solar panels occupy 30% of the area set aside for solar equipment.
- The average system efficiency is 10%.
Wind
Wind Powering America indicates that Washington has wind resources consistent with utility-scale production. The largest contiguous areas of good to excellent resource are located in the central part of the state. In addition, small wind turbines may have applications in some areas. For more information on wind in Washington including wind maps, visit Wind Powering America's Washington Wind Activities.
The Renewable Energy Atlas of the West estimated the annual wind electricity generation potential in Washington to be 62 billion kWh. The estimate excludes 100% of the following areas, which are assumed to be infeasible for wind development:
- Landforms – land with a slope of greater than 20%.
- Environmentally sensitive areas.
- All National Park Service lands.
- All fish and wildlife lands.
- All Forest Service or BLM lands with "special" designations, such as national recreation area or national wilderness area.
- All bodies of water.
- Wetlands.
- Urban areas.
Energy Efficiency
Energy efficiency means doing the same work, or more, and enjoying the same comfort level with less energy. Consequently, energy efficiency can be considered part of your state's energy resource base - a demand side resource. Unlike energy conservation, which is rooted in behavior, energy efficiency is technology-based. This means the savings may be predicted by engineering calculations, and they are sustained over time. Examples of energy efficiency measures and equipment include compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs), and high efficiency air conditioners, refrigerators, boilers, and chillers.
Saving energy through efficiency is less expensive than building new power plants. Utilities can plan for, invest in, and add up technology-based energy efficiency measures and, as a consequence, defer or avoid the need to build a new power plant. In this way, Austin, Texas, aggregated enough energy savings to offset the need for a planned 450-megawatt coal-fired power plant. Austin achieved these savings during a decade when the local economy grew by 46% and the population doubled. In addition, the savings from energy efficiency are significantly greater than one might expect, because no energy is needed to generate, transmit, distribute, and store energy before it reaches the end user.
Reduced fuel use, and the resulting decreased pollution, provide short- and long-term economic and health benefits.
For more information on current state policies related to energy efficiency, visit the Alliance to Save Energy's State Energy Efficiency Index.