Last DSIRE Review: 08/15/2012
Program Overview:
| State: |
Oregon |
| Incentive Type: |
Public Benefits Fund |
| Eligible Efficiency Technologies: |
Clothes Washers, Water Heaters, Lighting, Furnaces , Boilers, Heat pumps, CHP/Cogeneration, Heat recovery, Windows, Processing and Manufacturing Equipment |
| Eligible Renewable/Other Technologies: |
Solar Water Heat, Solar Space Heat, Solar Thermal Electric, Photovoltaics, Wind, Biomass, Hydroelectric, Geothermal Electric, Fuel Cells using Renewable Fuels, Geothermal Direct-Use |
| Applicable Sectors: |
Commercial, Industrial, Residential, Nonprofit, Schools, Local Government, Utility, State Government, Multi-Family Residential, Agricultural, Institutional |
| Types: | Renewables, energy efficiency, low-income assistance |
| Total Fund: | Annual funding from public purpose surcharge, based on 2012 budget: $14.2 million for renewables, $69 million for energy efficiency
Annual funding from public purpose surcharge, based on 2013 budget: $14.2 million for renewables, $78.7 million for energy efficiency |
| Charge: | 3% charge for Pacific Power and Portland General Electric customers, of which 73.8% goes to Energy Trust; 1.25% charge for NW Natural Gas customers; and 1.5% charge for Cascade Natural Gas customers |
| Web Site: |
http://energytrust.org/about/who-we-are/
|
Authority 1:
Expiration Date:
|
ORS 757.612 et seq.
1/1/2026
|
Summary:
Oregon's 1999 electric-utility restructuring legislation (SB 1149) required Pacific Power and Portland General Electric (PGE) to collect a 3% public-purpose charge from their customers to support renewable energy and energy efficiency projects through January 1, 2026. The Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC) authorized the Energy Trust of Oregon, an independent non-profit organization, to administer these programs beginning in 2002.
Of the funds collected by the electric utilities, 56.7% must be allocated towards energy efficiency programs and 17.1% to renewables. The remaining funds support low-income housing energy assistance and K-12 school energy-conservation efforts.
Oregon’s renewable portfolio standard legislation (SB 838), enacted in June 2007, established a goal that by 2025 at least 8% of Oregon's retail electrical load comes from small-scale renewable energy projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts (MW) or less. To support this goal, the legislation modified the public purpose charge for renewables to require that funding be used to support only smaller projects of 20 MW or less. Furthermore, the sunset date on the original 10-year public purpose charge was extended through 2025.
In addition to its work under the 1999 energy restructuring law, the Energy Trust administers gas conservation programs for residential and commercial customers of Northwest Natural (starting in 2003) and Cascade Natural Gas Corporation (starting July 2006). Energy Trust offered select programs for residential customers of Avista Corporation in Oregon starting in September 2006, but no longer delivers energy efficiency programs to Avista.
The Energy Trust's renewable energy programs include financial incentives for small-scale and utility-scale projects that generate energy from solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal resources. Efficiency programs include incentives for improvements to residential, commercial and new buildings, retrofit, appliances and manufacturing processes. The Energy Trust accepts applications for funding in response to specific programs, as well as through an open solicitation process. At least 80% of the energy conservation expenditures are concentrated in the service territory of the utility where the funds were collected.
Visit the program web site above for the latest Energy Trust Annual Report. |
