The Future of Clean Energy Is Bright: How Oregon Solar Could Go from 1% to 10% in 10 Years

It’s an exciting time to be alive.

From amazing medical developments, like bionic prosthetics and the ability to grow entirely new organs from stem cells, to advancements in technology that have enabled us to find ice on Mars and break the petaflop barrier, and expansions in clean energy technology that have resulted in its widespread availability and affordability – we’re living in a fast-paced, constantly developing world.

When it comes to energy production, the decisions we make today will have a lasting impact on our planet, people and infrastructure. A report released in 2015 by the Obama administration said that almost half of the country’s gas transmission and gathering pipelines were built in the 1950s and 1960s during a wave of construction following World War II. We’ve relied on this infrastructure for over half a century, and are now facing a point where we must decide whether to lock ourselves into more fossil fuel for the foreseeable future, or embrace the many promises of clean energy. 

According to a new report released by the Oregon Solar Energy Industries Association (OSEIA), the transition to clean energy already underway in Oregon. Currently, nearly 50-percent of electricity consumed in Oregon is produced from fossil fuels. Solar power provides less than one percent of our state’s electricity – enough to power 30,000 homes. While this may not sound like much, we’re actually 19th in the US on solar capacity, right in the middle of the pack. Our solar industry employs 4,500 people.

OSEIA projects that in 10 years, we could install four gigawatts in Oregon, to produce 10% of Oregon’s energy needs, power 500,000 homes and create 8,000 Oregon jobs.

And why not? The costs of solar technologies have dropped significantly in recent years, and are projected to continue falling. Solar power is now cost competitive with fossil fuels and has the potential to become the cheapest electricity source on the planet in the next ten years.

So just how will we get from 30,000 to 500,000 homes powered? OSEIA has a plan:

  • Payback rooftop solar installations within ten years.
  • Grow the solar workforce and stabilize existing jobs within the solar industry
  • Reduce solar soft costs while supporting and maintaining living wages for solar workforce
  • Reduce or eliminate persistent barriers to market entry or participation
  • Develop a solar policy framework for Oregon to sustain a stable solar industry

We already have some policies in place to incentivize solar installation; but we must keep those, and add new ones, if we want to progress. That’s where OSEIA’s role becomes vitally important. They work with industry leaders, academic scholars, legislators, government, and nonprofits like OEC to advocate for solar technologies and raise awareness of their potential to help secure an affordable, reliable, and clean energy future. We’re proud to partner with them on important legislation like 2016’s Clean Electricity and Coal Transition bill, and this year’s bill to reauthorize residential incentivizes for rooftop solar installation.

Quartz recently reported that solar is projected to fall to half the price coal or natural gas within a decade or two. This has already happened in some places, like Chile, where energy firm Solarpack contracted to sell solar at just $29.1 per megawatt hour – 58% below prices from a new natural gas plant. And right here in Portland, we’re seeing solar continue to expand and thrive; read about the largest private solar array on the rooftop of the Montgomery Park building here. As we said, it’s an exciting time to be alive. The future of clean energy looks bright, and getting brighter every day.

Related Posts
Filter by
Post Page
Featured Transportation Solutions Air Quality Climate Protection Eco-Healthy Homes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Toxics-Free Environments Environmental Health OEC News/Updates/Events OCAP News Water News Stormwater Policy Water Conservation Rural Partnerships Water Stories Water Action
Sort by

Oregon Advocates Celebrate First Anniversary of the Federal Inflation Reduction Act: A Year of Achievements and Future Opportunities for Progress

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2023 Media Contact: Patty Wentz, patty@wentzjackson.com 503-970-7929 As Oregon experiences record breaking heat driven by climate change, it is important to note the one-year anniversary of the historic Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which will invest at least $370 billion–and potentially upwards of $1 trillion–nationwide to a
August 16, 2023, 11:51 am
mcadmin

9

Water Droplet

A Win For Families, Farms, Fish, and the Future

The passage of the bipartisan Drought Package during Oregon’s 2023 Legislative Session marks a pivotal moment in the state’s efforts to combat a looming water crisis. By prioritizing safe drinking water, investing in water infrastructure, promoting efficient agricultural practices, and protecting water sources, Oregon is taking bold strides toward a water-secure future. A Critical Time for Action
July 26, 2023, 5:37 pm
klew

9

kid splashing in water with hands in air

Water Justice, a Shared Vision for the Future

For World Water Day 2023, we affirm our commitment to water justice and elevate the Oregon Water Justice Framework, recently released by the Oregon Water Futures Project, a collaboration between water and environmental justice interests,
March 21, 2023, 9:54 pm
mcadmin

9

Clean Cars Are the Future – It’s Time to Update Oregon’s Standards

It is (past) time we break up with oil! Not only do the big changes in the price of gas affect our wallets, but burning fossil fuels is bad for the climate and our health. Oregon has the opportunity to be a leader in the transition to electric vehicles and get on the path to meeting our climate pollution reduction goals by adopting the Advanced Clean Car II
October 5, 2022, 5:35 pm
jacqui

9

A sign about NW Natural at the Youth Climate March in 2022 for a Fossil Free Future

No time to burn: let’s keep the future of gas short in Oregon 

By: Nora Apter, the Climate Program Director for Oregon Environmental Council. Greer Ryan, Oregon Clean Buildings Policy Manager with Climate Solutions.
July 12, 2022, 4:35 pm
noraaoeconline-org

9

Worker building a house outside

Building for a Better Future

Right now, there is an important conversation happening in Oregon, and around the country, about buildings. The buildings in which we live and work are a critical piece of the climate puzzle. They are both vital to reducing climate change causing fossil fuels and our first line of defense against climate harms like extreme heat, wildfire smoke, and air
May 18, 2022, 7:46 pm
jacqui

9

Investing in a Better Transportation Future

Oregon is receiving more than a billion dollars from the federal government through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This money will be allocated to projects around the state by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), under the direction of the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC). The OTC
February 4, 2022, 9:54 pm
saraw

9

CLIMATE VICTORY! Oregon Climate Protection Program sets the path for a healthy climate future

Oregon just took one of its biggest steps ever toward reducing climate pollution and delivering a stable climate for the future. Oregon just took one of its biggest steps ever toward reducing climate pollution and delivering a stable climate for
December 16, 2021, 2:41 am
noraaoeconline-org

9

Prineville wetlands project - built ponds of water spread out on the landscape next to the natural path of a river.

A Natural Vision for Water Part 4: Investing in Our Future

By Bobby Cochran, Community Resilience & Innovation Partner for Willamette Partnership and a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader. Bobby helped lead the state’s outreach and engagement for the Oregon 100-Year Water Vision, and specializes in water solutions that benefit the environment, health, and community development. In collaboration with Willamette Partnership and the Oregon Association of Clean Water A
June 1, 2021, 8:50 pm
klew

9

Introducing: Oregon Water Futures Project

November 6, 2020, 2:26 am
stacey

9


No Replies to "The Future of Clean Energy Is Bright: How Oregon Solar Could Go from 1% to 10% in 10 Years"