The growth in electricity demand from the big computer data centers that store your Facebook posts and help you search the Internet with Google or utilize Apple’s “cloud” storage is growing as anticipated in the Northwest, according to an analysis by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council.
The Council is revising upward its estimate of how much power plug-in
electric vehicles will use in the future, in light of anticipated
consumer response to high gas prices and advances that allow vehicles to
travel increasingly farther before recharging. See
press release.
Energy efficiency can meet most of the new demand for electricity
over the next 20 years
Investments in efficiency also will
reduce the risk of future electricity shortages, reduce emissions from power
plants to help meet regional carbon-reduction goals and policies, and cost
consumers less than relying solely on new power plants.
Read more.
Explore this rich history
of the Columbia River and basin, with photos, interactive maps and more.
Explore power generation in the
Northwest with this Google map