History of EWEB's renewable projects
In 1999, EWEB became the first public utility in Oregon to build and own a wind
farm. The Foote Creek Wind Energy Center was state-of-the-art in environmentally
responsible, renewable energy generation.
EWEB customers were given the opportunity to devote a portion of their electric
bills to support the development and generation of wind power, which uses no fossil
fuels and produces no pollution. The popular EWEB Windpower program was fully subscribed
by early 2007.
There have been many changes with clean renewable energy over the years, and EWEB
has worked hard to stay ahead of the curve. For example, EWEB has invested in the
Stateline Wind Energy Center on the Oregon-Washington border and buys the electric
output of several customer-owned solar generation facilities located right here
in Eugene. EWEB is also reviewing other clean, renewable projects in the Northwest,
including wind projects in Sherman County, Oregon, and a geothermal project in Casia
County, Idaho.
Responding to strong community support, the utility introduced a second renewable
energy program in 2007—EWEB Greenpower. Customers can now support the latest projects
and also contribute to future sustainable resource investments. Revenue from EWEB
Greenpower is placed into a reserve account and will help finance new efforts in
future generation projects, education in renewable energy, and research into clean
energy technologies.
In March 2008, EWEB consolidated the two retail renewable energy programs single
program, EWEB Greenpower.
