Idaho Power announced a pledge Tuesday to provide customers 100 percent clean energy by the year 2045.
The company that serves over half-a-million customers calls the effort “Clean Today, Cleaner Tomorrow.” Nearly 50 percent of the electricity the company currently generates comes from hydro power. About a fifth comes from coal.
As part of the initiative to reach completely clean energy by 2045, Idaho Power will continue phasing out coal in favor of renewable options like wind and solar says Adam Richins, the vice president of customer operations and business development.
“We’re moving away from two of our coal facilities by 2025, and we’re evaluating a possible exit of a third,” says Richins.
With a sizable part of Idaho Power’s portfolio comprised of renewable energy sources, Richins says the company is in a good position to reach the 25-year goal. The move toward clean energy is also something more and more customers have raised.
“You know, our customer base – typically their focus is price and reliability, and that’s number one and number two, but we’re hearing a lot more often that clean energy is a big thing that they’re focused on as well,” the Idaho Power VP says. “We know we can provide all three.”
As part of the initiative to reach the goal, Idaho Power is planning to invest in a solar facility south of Twin Falls.
“It’ll be single-axis solar panels,” Richins says. “They move; there’s several acres. You know, one of the benefits we have is a transmission line right there, so it can tie right into a source that feeds up to Boise, which helps from a cost perspective.”
According to Richins, a majority of the focus on reaching the clean energy goal will center on current renewable energy sources, however, he doesn’t discount the role forthcoming technology could play.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated Idaho Power would be building a solar facility south of Twin Falls. It has been corrected to say the company will be investing in a solar facility south of Twin Falls.
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