U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley this week announced that Pendleton, Warm Springs and Talent have been selected by federal officials to participate in a cutting-edge energy storage program to increase energy resilience in the face of increasingly dangerous weather events and a changing climate.
“Building out energy storage capacity is key as families in Oregon and across the nation have suffered severe impacts in recent years from the climate emergency in their communities – some losing power for days because of winter storms, and others losing their homes because of wildfires sparked by downed power lines,” said Wyden, who has introduced legislation to harden power grids nationwide. “I am gratified Warm Springs, Talent and Pendleton qualify for consideration to receive assistance to build energy storage capacity. The climate fight must include a significant investment in keeping the lights on through extreme weather events to come.”
“Climate chaos is here and the ramifications of extreme temperatures, megafires, and floods have not only been destructive but have left many communities without power over the years,” said Merkley. “Strengthening our energy storage capacity is an important step to keeping lights on in our businesses, schools, and homes. I’m grateful these three Oregonian communities are leading the way and will be considered to receive additional assistance to increase storage capacity. These weather events aren’t going to disappear overnight, and I will continue to do everything I can to secure the necessary resources to ensure our community’s energy sources are safe and dependable.”
The assistance for the three Oregon communities and 11 others comes from the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity (DOE) Energy Storage for Social Equity (ES4SE) Initiative. The ES4SE supports underserved communities’ use of energy storage as a means of increasing resilience and maximizing energy flexibility in the face of a changing climate. Selected as part of the first phase, these communities will receive technical support to better assess their energy challenges, evaluate solutions, and find partners to support the community in meeting its energy goals.
The second phase will focus on energy storage project development and deployment, where up to five communities within this group will be selected to begin installing and commissioning their projects.
Nationally, more than 65 percent of low-income households face a high energy burden and more than 30 percent of all households have experienced some form of energy insecurity. The ES4SE program will help communities make an equitable energy transition that prioritizes economic prosperity and environmental justice.
