Articles by Carol Winkel

For more than a generation, the Pacific Northwest has been a leader in acquiring energy efficiency. Since 1978, the region has reduced electricity demand by more than 5,100 average megawatts, about half the region's load growth--more than enough

A report on the importance of food webs to ecosystem health and fish restoration efforts in the Columbia River Basin, written by the Council's Independent Scientific Advisory Board last year, has recently been published as an article for an

Langley Gulch Power Plant in southwest IdahoOne of the trends since the release of the Council's Sixth Power Plan in 2010 has been reduced carbon emissions from the electricity sector.In a recent presentation on CO2 emissions, Power Division Director

Since the Council released its Sixth Power Plan in 2010, a lot has happened.The mid-term assessment of the plan, a blueprint to an economical and reliable power system, will take stock of the changes and how they affect the Council's

The Council has released a revised forecast for fuel prices. The important message for consumers is that the downward price forecast for natural gas should help keep electricity prices down as well.New technologies to access natural gas trapped in

As little as thirty years ago, the only resources energy planners considered to meet future demand were coal and nuclear. People couldn't imagine any other options.Today, the Pacific Northwest uses other kinds of generation. The system is still hydro-based, with

We've reported on the threat of invasive quagga mussels in an earlier post, and it looks like that threat has never been greater. Forty-one barges are set to arrive in Seattle, Washington, and they appear to be infested with the

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council’s panel of independent scientists recently completed a review of 71 projects to implement the Council’s Columbia River Basin Fish and Wildlife Program over the next several years, finding that just 14 of them “meet