Renewable Resources and Conservation PacifiCorp has been a leader in seeking new, alternative ways of generating electricity. For example, photovoltaic projects in Utah, Wyoming and Oregon provide solar-power research data, as well as an opportunity for the public to view this technology. The company has also invested in the world's most advanced solar power plant Solar 2 and it's Blundell plant uses geothermal energy to produce electricity. In September 1997, PacifiCorp, along with the Eugene Water and Electric Board, broke ground on a 41.4-megawatt wind project in southeastern Wyoming. With average winds of 25 mph, the site has higher sustained winds than most other projects.
Higher winds have the potential to generate more electricity.
The North Umpqua River near Roseburg is under microscopic review by some of the country's top scientists. The company, which is seeking to relicense its 185-megawatt North Umpqua hydroelectric project, is conducting the study in cooperation with government agencies, environmental groups and the public. To lead this study, PacifiCorp recruited a team of nationally known biologists, geologists and ecologists. The scientists are examining the cumulative effects of land management practices, logging, hydroelectric operations and natural ecosystem processes. The study will produce the most extensive information ever compiled about 950 square miles of land and streams along the North Umpqua.