Application of the 3 E’s and 3 P’s to the electricity challenges in Oregon

 Application of the 3Es & 3Ps 
to the Electricity Challenges in Oregon
 
16th April 2020
EVPP 432
Introduction
The Oregon energy plan was chosen for this analysis due to its effectiveness and importance in the Pacific Northwest region. It is’s a common knowledge how well this state has been doing in the terms of going green and being sustainable. Oregon seems to be leading when it comes to planning and innovation, renewable energy, and environment among many more noteworthy areas of success. The Energy Department of Oregon has already implemented reliable and sustainable measures and policies towards renewable energy generation, as I talked about previously. Furthermore, the primary goal of an energy policy is to ensure environmental protection, ensure energy production is economical, and achieve energy security; these are referred to as the 3Es of energy policy. There is also another category of an energy policy, mentioned in this class by Dr. Jen Sklarew, that contains the 3Ps; priorities, politics, and process. Collectively, the 3Es and 3Ps show approaches of addressing challenges towards energy production. The energy profile of Oregon State state was examined previously, showing the challenges faced in the energy roadmap profile of the state. In this paper I will be analyzing the roles of 3Es and 3Ps, and also how they can be applied to address the challenges mentioned previously in Oregon’s Roadmap roadmap to achieve the ideal portfolio by improving the already impeccable plan even further.3E’s
Environment
One of the main challenges in energy production in Oregon State is environmental pollution. However, the goal of this roadmap is to ensure production of clean power and thermal energy. This shows the need for the implementation of laws and developing policies which enable responsible development of diverse sources of energy for thermal and electricity needs in the State (Puettmann et al. 2020). The Department should also consider advancing such pilot projects as energy storage; this will help in maximizing the integration and use of energy that is cleaner in producing electricity for use in Oregon. This can be achieved by using the 3E’s; environmental, economic, and energy security. Further, the Department should play a major role in evaluating barriers and opportunities that can be exploited to improve the overall performance of distribution and transmission systems. One of the ways of achieving this is by developing a thermal energy framework to help in realizing energy goals in the State. Although thermal energy accounts for over 25% of the energy in Oregon, policy in the sector lags behind. As such, the State should develop a policy that focuses on the assessment of current market structures and energy use (McAllister, 2016). Some of the steps that should be taken include completion of a baseline evaluation of the use of thermal energy, tracking trends, and assessing the market potential for local sources of thermal energy like solar, geothermal, and bioenergy resources. This will be achieved together with Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS), and Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF)). Members of these stakeholder groups include government officials. 
Economics
Analysis of the energy profile of Oregon State also showed that energy production is associated with high costs. As such, this profile seeks to address this issue by introducing a policy that reduces the cost of integration of clean energy sources. The strategy will include the assessment of activities and techniques that are currently used in the State for integrating renewable sources of renewable energy as well as identifying possible opportunities for improvement (Voisin et al. 2019). It will also include extending support to the western and northwest states which are planning and coordination approaches for reducing the cost of integration through targeted participation. This will be achieved by involving such committees as the Northwest Power and Conservation Council (NWPCC) and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC). Members of the two committees are drawn from government officials. They will help in advancing energy storage within the State as a way of supporting integration of renewable sources of energy and also achieving integration of grid resilience and renewables. 
Energy security
Energy security in Oregon State will be improved by improving the performance of the distribution and transmission system. This will be achieved by working together with the internal and external stakeholders since the role of the Department in distribution and transmission are limited. The overall aim of formulating this policy is to ensure that the Department together with the stakeholders conduct targeted research and analysis of viable options like developing a smart grid system. The stakeholders include government officials and individuals from the department of energy, as well as private investors. This will enhance the efficiency of distributed generation as well as demand response. Distributed generation refers to the generation and storage of energy. Further, the Department should work on reducing such soft costs as permitting, incentive for applications, interconnection, and inspection, which are conducted for renewable energy projects. The stakeholders such as government officials and private investors will also help in tracking and identifying soft skillscosts. These measures will help in promoting energy security in the area.     
                                                               3Ps
Priorities
There is also a need to improve priorities and make production of clean and renewable energy a priority in the State. This will be achieved b...