Last week the Community Advisory Committee held its second meeting in the process of working toward developing a “Wood River Electric Plan.” As a follow-up to the first meeting, which I discussed in my January 20, 2007 blog post, the group continued its efforts to learn more about the electrical system and the regulatory process here in Idaho.
Toward the end of the meeting, the Committee members each shared initial issues and concerns regarding the current electrical system and what the future system here in the Wood River Valley may face. I expressed my principal concerns going forward:
- Reliability and Redundancy – having a constant, reliable supply of energy to the north Wood River Valley is crucial to the success of our resort and tourist economy and for our full time residents.
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Aesthetics – the undeveloped hillsides and scenic vistas are one of the major drawing cards to this area; new power lines should be sited so as to minimize the visual impact such as seen by the one currently running through Sun Valley and Elkhorn.
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Conservation and Use of Alternative Energy Sources – in keeping with our cities’ efforts to fight global warming, the Plan should emphasize conservation and seek alternative local and regional sources; perhaps allowing for a smaller new supply line.
As promised, Idaho Power has put together a nice website with a great deal of information on what the Committee is looking at as we work toward a plan that can be presented to the general public for input and comment. Here is a direct link to the Wood River Electrical Plan effort.
We also discussed Idaho Power’s efforts towards energy conservation, or as they call it “demand-side management.” You might wonder why a profit making company would be interested in having their customers conserve in what they buy. I was skeptical until I learned of their efforts and how it benefits the electrical system. Here are a series of links to their website concerning various energy conservation ideas:
Energy Efficiency in Your Home
Our group will continue to meet monthly through June with a planned public release of the preliminary plan scheduled for mid to late summer. I will continue to report on our progress and you can also follow it at the Wood River Electrical Plan website.
