Oregon On Verge Of Requiring 100% Clean Electricity By 2040
Electric grids do not change overnight. Power plants and other infrastructure are multi-decade investments, and it’s rare to retire them early. So, it’s a bit painful to watch how slowly they have been getting cleaned up. Even with the majority of new power plants being renewable energy power plants, the percentage of electricity coming from renewables only creeps up.
That can make 100% renewable energy or 100% clean electricity commitments seem car too far out, far too slow. A potential new requirement for utilities in the state of Oregon is one such example. If it gets through the state legislature, it will be one of the most aggressive timelines in the United States. However, it still gives the utilities nearly 20 years to fully decarbonize. Yes, 100% clean electricity by 2040 is ambitious when compared to other laws around the States. However, when looking at how much we need to cut emissions by 2040, that should be more of an average or norm than a leadership position. Nonetheless, in political context, it is something to celebrate.
Additionally, the bill as it is currently written requires that electric companies such as Portland General Electric and Pacific Power (the state’s two largest utilities) cut their carbon emissions 80% by 2030. An 80% reduction in emissions from a baseline level in just about a decade is a pretty aggressive transition for this sector. What is the baseline year, you ask? That’s actually not in the legislation. Not seeing it reported, I dug up the bill (Oregon House Bill 2021) and found this instead of a specific starting point: “Requires DEQ to determine each electric company’s baseline emissions level and, for each retail electricity provider, the amount of emissions reduction necessary to meet the established clean energy targets in the state policy.” Knowing how much these kind of things can be corrupted, I’m not thrilled to see a lack of clarity on this. However, I expect the state’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) would be just about the best outfit to come up with the baseline. I hope.
Back to the state’s potential new requirement, reporting out of Oregon indicates that the legislation is likely to be passed this year. “Everyone OPB interviewed for this story suggested the bill is likely to pass this year, marking a significant milestone in Oregon’s energy policy — even if it’s one other states got to first.” It apparently has 100% opposition from Republicans in the state legislature, but Republicans don’t rule the show there. Its likelihood of passing is reportedly high despite a cap-&-trade bill dying last year as Republicans walked out of session early in order to kill it. This new bill is much narrower. Furthermore, it seems to have the support of the electric utility companies (which is something I find indicative of a not particularly aggressive legislative attempt, but I won’t get into all kinds of speculation or insinuation regarding that).
One line that rather annoyed me in the OPB reporting on the story is the following quote from Sunny Radcliffe, director of governmental affairs and energy policy at PGE, regarding getting to 100% clean electricity: “There is a lack of clarity for how we as an industry are going to get the last bits out,” Radcliffe said. “I don’t know anybody in our industry who knows how to get to zero with the technology we have today.”
I don’t know how Radcliffe doesn’t know anyone in the industry who can see how to get to 100% renewable electricity. After all, some places are already there (including places larger than Oregon), and there are these newfangled things called batteries that some people in the industry must have heard of. Also, by the way, a 2015 analysis out of Stanford showing how Oregon could get to 100% renewable electricity was referenced in the OPB article. In fact, I discovered the Oregon news because the lead author of that paper, Mark Z. Jacobson, tweeted out the story.
Anyway, let’s not harp on one quote from an industry player. Yes, we know how Oregon could get to 100% renewable electricity by 2040 — no worries.
There is plenty of good history and context on the Oregon bill over in that OPB article, so I recommend checking it out if you are curious to learn more. It’s one of the best pieces of local journalism I’ve seen on the topic of state renewable energy. The only major thing I’d change is that I’d point out what I just pointed out above. Though, the writer, Dirk VanderHart, did highlight the Stanford study in the article a bit before including that confusing quote from Radcliffe, so let’s just say that VanderHart slipped in the counterpoint preemptively and less offensively than I just did.
The article also points out key areas where the legislative shift from a cap-and-trade bill to this clean-electricity bill is evidence of somewhat deflated ambition. “Even if successful, the proposal only addresses a segment of the state’s carbon dioxide output.
“According to the DEQ, emissions from electricity accounted for 30% of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. The entities regulated under HB 2021 are responsible for the vast majority of that, but some providers are left untouched.
“Several dozen small consumer-owned utilities around the state are not impacted by the bill. Nor is Idaho Power, the state’s smallest investor-owned utility, which was removed from HB 2021 after pressing for an exemption and touting its own decarbonization goals.”
I am certainly of the opinion that we need strong legislation to adequately deal with the climate catastrophe we are inviting upon ourselves. Though, in the case of stories like this, I am typically inspired to point out that we can each take individual action with or without such legislation. We can install record-cheap solar power on our roofs (well, some of us can) and we can switch to electric cars. In fact, the largest electric car seller in the country (by far) is also the second largest solar installer in the country and, seemingly, the one offering the cheapest solar, so you can quickly and easily go solar and go electric at the same time via a simple online store. So, whether Sunny Radcliffe knows how the whole state could run on renewables by 2040, Sunny could be driving on sunshine himself within a matter of months if he wanted to.
Related Stories:
The BYD Shenzen, its new ro-ro ship that can carry 9,200 vehicles, has officially undocked. BYD’s new car carrier is the world’s largest as the EV giant aggressively expands overseas. After sales surged last year, the Chinese EV leader looks for even more global market share in 2025.
BYD Shenzen undocks as the world’s largest car carrier
BYD sold a record 4.25 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) last year, over 40% more than it did in 2023. That includes electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).
Although several automakers have yet to release full-year sales results, BYD is expected to outsell several global auto leaders, such as Ford, Honda, and Nissan. Meanwhile, this year could be even bigger for China’s largest automaker.
According to a new report from China News Service (via IT Home), the BYD Shenzen, the company’s fourth ro-ro (roll-on/Roll-off) ship, finished undocking and is ready to set sail.
BYD’s new car carrier is the world’s largest, capable of transporting up to 9,200 vehicles. Since 2024, BYD has launched four ro-ro ships as it expands into new overseas markets.
The first, the BYD Explorer No 1, was launched in January 2024. It has already completed several trips to Europe, including Spain and Germany, and also docked in Brazil.
BYD’s second (BYD Changzhou) was put into operation in early December 2024, followed by the BYD Hefei, which set sail last week. All three can carry up to 7,000 vehicles.
The Hefei hit the seas last week, carrying 5,000 NEVs. BYD said the vessel will “accelerate the internationalization process of China’s new energy vehicles.”
The BYD Shenzen, named after its hometown, is not only the world’s largest but also the most environmentally friendly. According to the report, the new ship includes BYD box-type battery packs and shaft-belt generators for the first time.
Electrek’s Take
BYD has already entered 100 countries and regions globally, but it’s poised for even more growth in 2025. After producing over 1.77 million vehicles last year, BYD topped Tesla by about 4,500 units to become the world’s largest EV maker.
Meanwhile, Tesla delivered slightly more fully electric vehicles, with 1.78 million in 2024, compared to BYD’s 1.76 million.
With an influx of new rivals in China, BYD is aggressively expanding into new overseas. After entering Japan in 2023, a market dominated by domestic automakers, BYD sold more EVs than Toyota in 2024.
After launching its first EV in South Korea this week, starting at just over $20,000, BYD will now challenge Hyundai and Korea on their home turf.
BYD’s growing presence is forcing legacy automakers to take drastic actions to keep up. After falling behind, Japan’s Nissan and Honda are now teaming up on EVs to fend off BYD’s surge.
In Thailand, or the “Detroit of Asia,” as it’s called, Japanese automakers have watched their market share fall from 90% to just 76% over the past two years amid BYD’s growing presence.
With new vehicles launching in Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and many more regions this year, BYD is poised for more growth in 2025.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Rivian’s (RIVN) stock is trending on Friday after Volkswagen CEO Oliver Blume hinted at expanding upon their new EV partnership. Volkswagen’s boss said the company could offer “great opportunities” for Rivian. Here’s what the new plans could include.
Rivian stock climbs on Volkswagen EV partnership plans
After launching their new joint venture in November, “Rivian and VW Group Technology, LLC,” Volkswagen is already looking to expand its partnership with the EV startup.
Blume told German news outlet Spiegel that “The Volkswagen Group offers great opportunities for a small brand like Rivian” on Friday. For example, Volkswagen’s head honcho said, “We are thinking about sharing modules and bundling purchasing volumes.”
Volkswagen already plans to invest up to $5.8 billion in the collaboration, which, according to Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe, is a “meaningful financial opportunity.”
So far, the partnership is mainly software support. Rivian is using its software expertise to develop a new EV architecture to power up new SDV (software-defined) electric vehicles.
Rivian already uses the platform and software stack, which consists of seven control units. Volkswagen models typically have over 100 of these units. The next steps could involve a joint purchase, deepening the VW/ Rivian EV alliance.
The architecture is designed to cut costs and speed up output. According to the report, a new ultra-luxury three-row Porsche electric SUV, codenamed “K1” internally, and the electric Golf successor will be among the first EVs to feature the new architecture.
Audi, Porsche, and the upcoming Scout brand for the US will use the new tech. Scout will launch an off-road electric SUV and pickup built at Volkswagen’s new plant in South Carolina from 2027.
The news comes after Rivian closed a loan agreement with the US Department of Energy (DOE) on Thursday for up to $6.6 billion in funding for its new EV plant in Georgia.
Rivian’s second manufacturing plant will house its midsize R2 and R3 electric models. The smaller, more affordable electric SUV and crossover will also benefit from the Volkswagen alliance.
On Friday, Rivian stock trended up over 5% after Volkswagen’s Blume hinted at expanding the new EV partnership. Since reporting third-quarter earnings in November, RIVN shares are up over 57%. However, they are still down nearly 10% over the past 12 months.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Police have seized an imported Tesla Cybertruck in the UK as it is not road-legal in the country and deemed dangerous for pedestrians.
Tesla has always known that its Cybertruck design would be complicated to get homologated in other markets than North America, where the rules are similar between the US, Canada, and Mexico. The company admitted that it might limit the markets where Cybertruck would be sold, which is why Tesla doesn’t plan to expand beyond current markets.
However, it hasn’t stopped people from privately importing Cybertrucks to their home markets.
We have seen two Cybertrucks traveling through Europe, and they were stopped at Lithuanian customs due to suspicions that they were going to Russia.
Sure enough, Russian warlord and Chechen ruler Ramzan Kadyrov took delivery of Cybertrucks and outfitted them with machine guns a few months later and then claimed that they joined the war effort in Ukraine.
Other Cybertrucks made their way to other markets like China.
Now, we learn that one has made it to the UK, but it didn’t last long.
The Greater Manchester Police (GMP) announced that the seized the Cybertruck pictured above that was roaming the streets in the UK illegally. They wrote on social media:
Whilst this may seem trivial to some, legitimate concerns exist around the safety of other road users or pedestrians if they were involved in a collision with the Cybertruck.
Tesla had brought the vehicle in the UK, but only for demonstration. It never tried to make it legal in the country.
The police added:
The Tesla Cybertruck is not road-legal in the UK and does not hold a certificate of conformity.
The authorities said that the Cybertruck was registered and insured abroad, but the driver was a UK resident. They will have to show prove of ownership and insurance to release the vehicle.
Electrek’s Take
The authorities are clearly right here since the vehicle is not road-legal currently, but could it be road-legal? It’s hard to say.
The police here repeat claims that the Cybertruck might be dangerous for pedestrians in crashes. That has been a concern that has often been raised since the truck launched in 2023.
It looks obvious based on the design of the Cybertruck. However, we haven’t seen third-party crash testing of the Cybertruck yet, and it might take a while before we do.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports10 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway