Rocky Mountain Power pledges to more clean energy

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Rocky Mountain Power officially committed to an international pledge to reduce emissions and use more clean energy. The utility serving Utah, Wyoming and Idaho signed the American Business Act on Climate Pledge with its parent company Berkshire-Hathaway Energy.
The pledge will be part of an international climate change agreement that will be made in Paris this December. Berkshire-Hathaway Energy is one of more than a dozen businesses and the first energy company to sign the pledge. Included in the pledge are company-specific targets to reduce emissions, increase low-carbon investments, build clean energy projects, reduce water and energy intensity and use cleaner vehicles.
“Rocky Mountain Power is proud to be part of a company that is committed to environmental responsibility and willing to play a leading role in developing sustainable, climate-friendly solutions to meet customers’ energy needs,” said Rocky Mountain Power President and CEO Cindy A. Crane. “This pledge is another step in our on-going commitment towards a low-carbon sustainable future. Rocky Mountain Power will continue to explore more ways to provide safe, reliable and affordably priced electricity with lower emissions.”
As part of this Pledge Rocky Mountain Power, as part of PacifiCorp, has committed to: Add more than 1,000 megawatts of incremental solar and wind capacity through long-term power purchase agreements to PacifiCorp’s owned 1,030 megawatts of wind generating capacity. PacifiCorp is the nation’s second largest owner of wind generation among regulated, investor-owned utilities. This incremental renewable generation is expected to be online by the end of 2017 and would bring PacifiCorp’s non-carbon generating capacity to more than 4,500 megawatts, which equates to approximately 22 percent of PacifiCorp’s retail energy load in 2017. Invest in transmission infrastructure in the West to support the integration of renewable energy onto the grid.
Support and advance the development of markets in the West to optimize the electric grid, lower costs, enhance reliability and more effectively integrate renewable resources.
Rocky Mountain Power recently announced plans for the Blue Sky subscriber solar program. Customers who cannot afford or choose not to have rooftop solar will be able to subscribe to receive some or all of their electricity from the power of the sun. Rocky Mountain Power will fund the building of at least 15 megawatts of solar power in Utah for the new program. The original Blue Sky program has more than 100,000 customers resulting in more than five billion kilowatt-hours of renewable energy being delivered to the power grid in the West over the years.
The company’s wattsmart program has helped customers save more than 269,000 megawatt hours of electricity in 2014.