CAP2.0 Dashboard

Electrical Energy Consumed

Eugene’s electric utility, Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) serves almost all of Eugene’s electrical needs.  EWEB buys most of its power from the Bonneville Power Authority which operates the federally owned dams as well as a few nuclear power plants in the region.  Eugene Water and Electric Board also has several other sources including additional hydropower, wind farms, solar, and biomass.  EWEB delivers power that is almost 80 percent carbon-free and 90 percent renewable.  The graph below shows that EWEB provides a relatively consistent amount of energy to the community, due in part to the utility’s commitment to conservation. The energy provided is measured in Mega Watt hours (MWh). 

Figure 5. 

Source: EWEB

Related goal: N/A

Related City policy or CAP2.0 Actions:

Action B12 EWEB’s commitment to conservation includes meeting all-new baseload growth through acquiring conservation rather than new energy resources.  Each year, the utility targets between 1.4 and 1.6 MW for acquisition, dedicating appropriate budget and human resources to those targets. 

Carbon Emissions per Megawatt Hour (Emissions Factor)

Eugene’s local electricity is 19 times less carbon-intensive than the regional average.

Greenhouse gas emissions that come from electricity can be calculated using two methods – Location-Based and Market-Based accounting.  In Eugene, the Location-based method is representative of the Northwest Power Pool’s (NWPP) regional average greenhouse gas emission impacts of electricity used. Alternatively, the Market-based method represents the average greenhouse gas emission impacts of electricity that has been purposefully chosen via EWEB’s supply contracts. 

Both methods are useful for different purposes; together, they provide fuller, more transparent documentation and assessment of risks, opportunities, and changes to emissions from electricity supply over time. While Eugene alone may not be able to reduce the NWPP emissions impacts to zero, using both accounting methods provides a more robust picture of how local contracts can go farther in reducing local emissions. 

The graph below shows the carbon emissions per megawatt-hour of electricity produced using both the Location-Based and Market-Based accounting methods for 2017 and 2019.  The graph shows that Eugene’s market-based emissions are 19 times less carbon-intensive than the regional NWPP average, or about 5% of the Northwest Power Pool.  This is because EWEB, as a public utility, predominantly contracts with Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) whose generation supply is largely from low-carbon, hydroelectric and nuclear resources, and EWEB’s owned, low carbon resources which include hydro and wind.  

Figure 6.

Natural Gas Energy Consumed

Eugene’s residential gas usage has increased by 1.8% over the last decade, while commercial usage has increased by less than 0.07%. In 2019, natural gas emissions represented 37% of its total local fossil fuel use. Natural gas usage is measured in thousands of Metric Million British Thermal Units (MMBTU) per year. CO₂ emissions are measured in thousands of Metric Tons (MT CO₂e).

Figure 7.

Source: Northwest Natural/City of Eugene 2019 GHG Inventory

Figure 8.

Related goals:  N/A

Related City policy or CAP2.0 Actions:

• Action B1 COE and NWN are currently working on a new franchise agreement with the intention to decrease community-wide emissions associated with natural gas. The agreement is expected to be completed in late 2020. Details will be added to Eugene’s list of climate commitments once the agreement is finalized.
• Action B14 NWN Smart Energy Program allows customers to purchase carbon offsets equal to the amount of carbon dioxide created by their natural gas use. 
• Action B15 NWN partners with the ETO to offer energy efficiency programs to natural gas customers. 
• Action B16 In order to produce Renewable Natural Gas (RNG), Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) is building biogas purification facilities and a pipeline to connect to NW Natural’s utility grid. Construction is expected to begin in 2020 with target completion in 2021.

Energy-Efficient Projects

One way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy use is to improve energy efficiency within buildings. This is especially true for energy that uses fossil fuels. Over the past 4 years, the majority of energy efficiency projects have been in the residential sector, with only a handful in commercial, and even fewer in the manufacturing sector.

Figure 9.

Data source: EWEB

The impact of energy savings disproportionately comes from the manufacturing and commercial side. That is because these projects are much larger and involve much heavier energy use than residential projects. This is true for both electricity and natural gas. CO₂ emissions are measured in Metric Tons (MT CO₂e). The below line graph demonstrates CO₂ savings from energy efficiency projects using electricity from 2017-2010. The overlaid bar graph comparatively demonstrates savings in kWh from efficiency projects in varying sectors.

Figure 10.

Data Source: EWEB

Since 2010 (the baseline year for the City of Eugene CAP 2.0) through Q3 2021, EWEB conservation and efficiency programs have achieved a cumulative energy savings of 1,035,522 MWhs, representing 302,372 metric tons of avoided carbon emissions, averaging 28,128 MTCO2e/year during that period. That’s enough energy to power over 53,000 typical all-electric single family homes for a year!

 

Similar to Figure 10, the bar graph below demonstrates natural gas savings in therms due to energy efficiency projects from 2003 to 2020. This graph shows that while there are natural gas energy efficiency projects occurring across sectors, the most emissions savings come from commercial and industrial projects. 

Figure 11.

Data Source: Energy Trust of Oregon

Related CAP2.0 Actions:

• Action B11 EWEB and NWN limited income assistance programs and energy conservation education programs, which provide eligible customers with rebates and incentives to lower and pay their bills. 
• Action B12 EWEB’s commitment to conservation includes meeting all new baseload growth through acquiring conservation rather than new energy resources.  Each year, the utility targets between 1.4 and 1.6 MW for acquisition, dedicating appropriate budget and human resources to those targets. 
• Action B13 Once fully deployed, EWEB’s advanced metering program will facilitate demand-side management programs with customers to reduce energy use during peak periods. EWEB has begun consumer education on the value of reducing energy use during peak periods and plans to develop programs to help consumers shift energy use off-peak through a combination of technology and pricing signals.

Smart Energy Program Participation

Northwest Natural’s Smart Energy Program is a voluntary carbon offset program that allows customers to offset the CO2e emissions from their natural gas use. In 2020, customers offset about 15,081 MT CO2e or about 7% of natural gas emissions emitted within Eugene. There are over 5,000 total participants in the Smart Energy program, both across residents and commercial sectors. The graph below shows that a little more than 20% of residential customers participate in the program and about 0.4% of commercial and industrial and commercial customers participate.  

Figure 12.

Figure 13.

Source: Northwest Natural

 Related goals:  N/A

 

Related CAP2.0 Actions: 

Action B14 NWN Smart Energy Program allows customers to purchase carbon offsets equal to the amount of carbon dioxide created by their natural gas use.

 

Source link

from Salem – Salem Local News https://bit.ly/3FX2tX6
via IFTTT