Seattle Times: Washington Should Use the Full Clean Energy Toolkit

A new Seattle Times opinion piece makes an important point about Washington’s energy future: growing electricity demand does not mean the state should walk away from its clean energy goals. It means Washington needs to use the full set of modern energy tools available to keep the grid reliable, affordable, and prepared for the future.

 The piece, written by Renewable Northwest’s Mike Goetz, responds to recent arguments that rising electricity demand and reliability concerns should push Washington toward new natural gas plants or away from the Clean Energy Transformation Act. Goetz acknowledges that reliability and affordability are real concerns, but argues that the state should fully evaluate the tools already available before declaring its clean energy framework broken.

Those tools include getting more out of the resources Washington already has. The article points to demand-side flexibility, especially from large energy users that may be able to reduce or shift electricity use during periods of peak demand. It also highlights the need for better regulatory incentives so utilities are rewarded for efficiency and reliability, not just for building large capital projects.

The piece also points to continued investment in clean energy resources, including wind, solar, transmission, and large-scale battery storage.

As more renewable energy comes onto the grid, Washington will need resources that can help make that power available when homes, businesses, schools, and essential services need it most. Battery storage adds flexibility to the grid by storing energy when it is available and delivering it back during periods of higher demand.

Taken together, those pieces point to the real work ahead for Washington: turning clean energy goals into the infrastructure, planning, and policies needed to support them.

That means planning for reliability. It means protecting customers from unnecessary costs. It means using proven tools that can help reduce dependence on fossil fuels over time. And it means building the infrastructure needed to support a cleaner, more dependable electric grid.

Projects like the proposed Cascadia Ridge Resiliency Energy Storage Project are part of that larger effort. Battery storage is not the only tool Washington will need, but it is an increasingly important one as electricity demand grows and the state works to bring more clean energy onto the grid.

Washington does not need to choose between reliability and clean energy. But it does need to build the infrastructure that makes both possible.