Deschutes uses 116% renewable energy

"The brewery uses over 116% green energy. That means that Deschutes obtained more green energy that was needed for the year."

So what happened to the excess 16% energy? Whether it's green or not, obtaining more energy than you use doesn't seem very efficient or green.

 

Sold back to the grid, presumably...

 

I'm just guessing, but those credits probably get sold back into the system. If it's the actual energy, it likely gets shot back into the local grid.

 

That's how it usually works - any excess energy you generate gets sold back to the utility company and used on the local grid

 

Fair enough, but there still doesn't seem to be any point to "using" over 100% green energy. Oh well, maybe it makes sense somehow...good for Deschutes in any case!

 

Pretty awesome if true, not to mention preserving Bend is a great thing.

 

Math often doesn't make sense.

 

Maybe they sell the green energy back at a profit? That would make sense...for Deschutes anyhow.

 

I'm simplifying, but if the energy is produced green and then enters a non-green grid, there is less need for non-green energy. Hence the 16% excess adds some "green" to the grid and likely gets Deschutes some amount back per the terms of their local energy concern.

 

Interestingly enough, depending on how they are getting their "green" energy, they are likely still using some of the conventional electricity at times, but at other times producing way more green energy than they use. In other words, they still need the grid.

 

Yeah, you'd need to be hooked up to it and likely drawing from it oddly enough to put any energy back in. I suppose draw vs feed rates would get to be the determinant of how much of the 16% is actually completely green.

 

It doesn't seem like they produce all of the energy themselves, but they use certain business practices that give green energy credits/calculations. Here's what the article says, but it's thin on details:
"...They employ eco-friendly processes like recycling hot air discharge from air compressors to heat cellars in the winter, fertilizing local farming with leftover yeast and hop material and using 70% recycled glass to manufacture bottles.

Thanks to this, and purchasing RECs from verified sources, the brewery uses over 116% green energy."

The article should have tried hard to explain that 116% calculation better. I'm not saying it's not true, but the headline/article begs the question. It's lazy journalism.

 

The real draw to having over 100% green energy is that can supplement the local community with more green energy. In other words, they were so efficient, they were able to deliver green power to the local grid and detract a little bit from the local power plant (although, not much).

 

They purchase more "Renewable Energy Credits" than the energy they use at the end of the day, on top of any renewables they own. It seems they do this through Blue Sky by paying a premium per MWh they use (likeley $20 or less), who then puts that money into supporting and building new alternative energy initiatives while feeding wind and solar power into the grid. For every MWh the power company generates with wind or solar for example, they then sell the "credit" on the market and whomever buys it gets to claim the clean energy. Essentially it makes alternative energy financially viable by paying the premium and getting the true cost of providing the energy.

So in summary, the electricity that comes to their building comes from the grid (however some will eventually come from solar panels they are putting on the roof of their new building), but they purchase the green energy from Blue Sky who feeds the equivalent into the grid. They then purchase more than they use to get to the theoretical 116%, the main idea being that without that premium than the alternative energy would never be built.

 

Oh, I didn't realize they had offset trading for electricity there! Probably have it here; I am just unsure. Thanks for the info!

 

These days, lazy is the best description of most journalism as well.

 

Another reason Deschutes has earned my support.

 

I wish I had 116% of the energy I needed......