Look to a future with wind farms, manure digesters powering region

This editorial appears in the Feb. 17, 2010, Yakima Herald-Republic.

A regional energy plan released last week bodes well for the
Pacific Northwest in its quest for a balanced mix of power generation to meet demands for the next 20 years.

When adopting the energy plan, the Northwest Power and Conservation Council concluded there will be no need to add any coal-generating plants in the foreseeable future. Demand will be met by a mix of improved efficiency, conservation, wind power and gas generation. Those are all worthy initiatives.

The regional power council predicts that about 85 percent of the Pacific Northwest's demand for electricity in the next 20 years could be met through conservation such as investments in energy-efficient equipment, buildings and products. These investments, the council predicts, could help reduce gas emissions by 17 million tons per year by 2030 while also creating 47,000 new jobs in the region.

Filling the gap for the final 15 percent would be wind power generation and natural gas-fired plants.

From the wind-swept hills of Kittitas County to the Columbia Gorge of Klickitat County, this area has clearly been in the forefront of wind power generation in our state. Wind turbines are located primarily along the east end of the Columbia River Gorge, with five wind farms already operating in Klickitat County. As many as 14 could be generating power in the near future. Then there are the four wind farms up in Kittitas County -- with one operating and three others either under construction or in the planning process.

That's an impressive report card.

We hope, though, energy planners don't forget about other alternative methods of power generation that could take root in the Yakima Valley -- specifically, new manure digesters in dairies that not only create electricity but also contribute to a cleaner environment. With 61 dairies and more than 139,000 cows in Yakima County alone, these power-generating digesters need to be a serious topic of conversation, not a footnote in a planning document.

In particular, power planners should pay heed to what is taking place at DeRuyter's dairy outside of Zillah. The dairy processes about 150,000 gallons of manure daily, which is flushed into a digester -- a concrete-lined, 3.3-million gallon tank. Heat is introduced that causes microbes to feed on the manure, creating methane gas. The methane then powers a generator and produces electricity.

It's no small investment for the 3,000-head DeRuyter dairy. The $3.8 million digester is the only one in Eastern Washington, with three others operating on the westside.

But the DeRuyter dairy has had difficulty getting all of its power sold to Pacific Power. The utility argues it can only purchase a certain amount of generated power from the DeRuyter digester because of restrictions placed on it by the state Utilities and Transportation Commission. The dairy owner counters that Pacific Power could be more assertive with the commission and get the ceiling lifted.

Without the ability to sell more electricity to Pacific Power, DeRuyter's dairy will not be able to get an adequate return on its investment.

That's not the kind of scenario envisioned by voters who passed a statewide initiative in 2007 requiring electrical companies to have a certain percentage of renewable energy resources in their power portfolio.

Though efforts to remedy this situation through legislation fell short in the current session, we expect state lawmakers to take up the matter again next year. It's a situation that needs to be remedied.

* Members of the Yakima Herald-Republic editorial board are Michael Shepard, Bob Crider, Spencer Hatton and Karen Troianello.