Fall 2019

snopud.com

what does the future of the

electrical grid look like?

your power is 98% carbon-free

be storm ready

I ’ve challenged us all – myself included – to en-vision the PUD as a customer and community

centric utility of the future. We are striving every day to grow and improve our services to you with a focus on four pillars: affordability, reliability, environmental sustainability, and safety. Every pillar is important, but it’s our commit-ment to the environment I’d like to talk about here. Environmental sustainability is one of your PUD’s greatest strengths. At 98% carbon-free, we are among the nation’s cleanest utilities. That’s thanks in large part to our strong partnership with the Bonneville Power Ad-ministration, which provides more than 80% of our power through its vast network of clean hydroelectric projects. It’s also thanks to bold efforts led by our current and previ-ous Board of Commissioners. Under their guidance, we have developed our own renewable and carbon-free small hydro

A s your elected PUD board, we’re excited about where Snohomish Co. PUD is going and how we’re going to

get there. We know you, our customer-owners, want a respon-sive and innovative utility ready to help at the click of a button. We are charting a course to a modernized grid that keeps rates low, power reliable and environmentally sustainable, and our customers and employees safe. For us, it’s a thrilling time to be leaders in the electric util-ity industry. As more of our customers drive electric vehicles, install solar panels on their homes and demand more flexible rate structures, we are asking PUD staff to create programs that will meet those expectations. As commissioners of a pub-lic utility, we know it’s our job to listen to you and lead the PUD into the future. Part of that future is putting power in the hands of our customers. The PUD’s goals include a move to a more mod-ern metering system, improved customer self-service tools and better outage communication. These improvements will bene-fit our customers and the utility. Customers will enjoy a better understanding of their energy usage, the ability to manage it efficiently and have access to personalized outage updates. For the PUD, outage response times will be shorter and disrup-tions easier to diagnose.

The Future is Bright

A Leader in Clean EnergyA few words from PUD CEO/GM John Haarlow

PUD Commissioners Sid Logan, Toni Olson and Rebecca Wolfe

Editors: Aaron Swaney/Cayle Thompson | Design: Wendy ParrisPhotography: Krysta RasmussenEmail your comments to: current@snopud.com Vol. 31 Number 2 | Published Oct. 2019

EnergyTalk

ContentsPAGES 4 & 5

what does the future of the electrical grid look like?

» electric vehicles

» Microgrids

» new metering technology

» energy efficiency

» customer experience

» cybersecurity

PAGES 6 & 7

your power is 98% carbon-free

» community solar

» hydropower

» salmon

» renewable energy

PAGE 8

be storm ready

Keep Track of OutagesThe PUD’s Outage Map keeps getting bet-ter! After launching estimated times of restora-tion (ETRs) earlier this year, the PUD recently launched a new Outage Tracker tool on the Outage Map to help customers stay informed of the utility’s progress in restoring power. Along with cause, num-ber of customers affected and ETRs, the map now also displays what stage each outage is in, from just reported to fully restored. It’s one more way the PUD is helping customers stay informed during power outages.

Planet Power Funds Five ProjectsThis summer, the PUD’s Planet Power program funded five large so-lar power projects to help local non-profit organizations. Planet Power, funded through donations by PUD customers, gave $260,000 to build five photovoltaic (PV) systems with more than 112 kilowatts of in-stalled capacity. The organizations – Snohomish County Fire District No. 22, YMCA-Everett, Camp Killoqua, Farmer Frog and Eagle Creek Elementary – will not only offset their energy use, they’ll also help edu-cate the public on the benefits of solar power.

Sound Investments in the FutureAs regions grow, the PUD must meet increasing demand and continue its strong record of reliability with new equipment. The recently ener-gized Cedar Valley Substation, visible from I-5 near the future Lyn-nwood Transit Center, will support high-density growth in the south Snohomish County area, along with the anticipated arrival of Sound Transit light rail in 2024. The PUD is also moving distribution lines in Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood to make room for transit-oriented urban hubs around future rail stations. For more on the Utility of the Future, turn the page!

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Customer Service M-F, 8 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 425-783-1000

Energy Hotline Your source for energy-efficiency information M-F, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. 425-783-1700

Being a utility of the future also means being a leader in cy-bersecurity. As customer homes and businesses become more connected through smart thermostats and other Internet-connected devices, it’s important the grid is safe and secure. The PUD has invested heavily in network defense upgrades to make sure that’s a reality – today and into the future. We are thankful to our customer-owners for the privilege to have served this community for 70 years. We encourage you to attend an upcoming board meeting, held twice each month at our Everett headquarters. Public engagement is key to public power, and as we embark on our next 70 years, it is your voice that will help guide our journey into the future. For examples of what the Utility of the Future may look like, see pages 4 & 5.

projects, as well as invested in wind, biogas and solar. This year, the state legislature passed, and the governor signed, a series of new laws that will touch all of us in some

way. The one everybody talks about the most is the new law requiring 100% carbon-free energy by the year 2045. At 98%, the PUD is already a clear leader in meeting this goal. But there’s more to be done. We are excited about what it means for our future and for your future. As the PUD looks to tomorrow, I see a utility more and more responsive to our customers and our communities; a utility that sets the bar high and works diligently to become among the best

nationally in delivering power and water that is affordable, reli-able, environmentally sustainable, and safe. Thank you for being a PUD customer-owner and for help-ing make the PUD a leader in the energy industry. Providing you with excellent service is our greatest honor and pleasure! Learn more about what makes the PUD 98% clean on pages 6 & 7!

John Haarlow

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Customer Experience

N ew technology and improved tools will allow the PUD to communicate in near real-time with its customers. Want to

know the moment your power is back on with a text? No problem! How about an alert for an incentive to lower your energy usage and save big bucks? Sure! Would a notification that the PUD is running on 100% clean energy be interesting? Let’s do it! The PUD knows communication with customers in the way you want is key to making the future grid work seamlessly.

Electric Vehicles

T here are currently 5,000 electric vehicles in Snohomish County, with 40,000 predicted to be on our roads by 2029. Batteries powering those cars are charged with the

PUD’s 98% clean energy supply and could provide energy op-tions for the utility and its customers. For example, in the future you could save money by charging your EV at night when energy demand is lowest. If you choose, your EV could also help provide power to the grid in times of high demand.

New Metering Technology

O ne of the PUD’s future goals includes new meters that will allow for two-way communication between our customers

and the utility. This new metering technology will give customers more data on their energy use, improve communication with the utility and provide customers more control over their service. This new technology will also allow the PUD to identify power outages more quickly, enhancing communications with customers and getting the lights back on faster.

MiCROGRIDS

I n the future, entire communities, neighbor-hoods, businesses or other critical infrastruc-ture may be able to disconnect from the grid

by relying on something called a microgrid. Pow-ered by renewable resources like wind or sun, a microgrid can use batteries to store power for later use in times of crisis, like a storm or earth-quake. Customers could also use a microgrid or on-site battery storage to cut costs during peri-ods of high energy prices. The PUD is learning how microgrids can im-prove the reliability of your power and support more renewable energy projects through its Ar-lington Microgrid Project, slated to come online in 2020. Cybersecurity

Energy Efficiency

C onservation remains the PUD’s best resource to meet growing demand. In the future, there will be more ways to save energy and money than just in-

stalling LED lightbulbs in your home or business. Smart stovetops, self-shading windows and cool roofs will help customers keep their homes comfy and bills low, as well as keep the planet green. There will also be new and flexible rate designs that will allow customers to save money by us-ing or not using energy during a particular time of day.

A s the grid becomes more interconnected and more smart devices crowd into cus-tomers’ homes, the importance of keeping

your data and information secure is paramount. The PUD is a leader in the world of cybersecurity and will continue to be in the future. Each day, the PUD’s cybersecurity technology protects against an estimated 100,000 potential cyberattacks. That number will only increase. Thankfully, the PUD has done its homework. In 2015, the PUD teamed with the Washington State National Guard’s Net-work Warfare Squadron on a cyber exercise that

provided the PUD with invaluable experience test-ing their cybersecurity defenses and capabilities. The PUD has also partnered with other utilities and technology leaders to put on four Washington State Cybersecurity Summits.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF THE ELECTRICAL GRID LOOK LIKE?

The PUD has always been good at stringing wires, placing poles and building substations to deliver power from generating resources like dams or wind farms. That expertise has resulted in reliable, affordable and safe power for our communities for 70 years.

But as technology improves and more renewable energy crowds the grid, the PUD is looking behind the meter at new, progressive technologies. These improvements will allow customers to tap into clean energy and have more control over their energy use and bill. Yes, much of this is still years away, but it’s an exciting future for the PUD and its customer-owners!

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Hydropower Fuels Life in the Northwest T he PUD is proud to offer customers Carbon Solutions. This program supports the production of clean energy through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs). Every REC certifies

1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy generated by a renewable source has been sent to the electrical grid in the western U.S. Carbon Solutions benefits Snohomish County and all the Pacific Northwest. For as little as $4.50, you can help our region move away from carbon-based energy by supporting important wind and solar projects. Partici-pation is easy! Customers can make monthly or one-time contributions. Visit snopud.com/carbonsolutions for details.

T he PUD’s largest power generation system is the Jackson Hydroelectric Project, located downstream

of the Culmback Dam and Spada Lake Reservoir. As part of relicensing requirements, the PUD undertook a massive multi-year effort to improve environmental conditions for salmon and other fish in the river below the dam. This spring, the PUD completed the last major step in the process. The Water Temperature Conditioning Proj-ect allows the PUD to take warm water from the top of Spada Lake Reservoir and mix it with colder water from the base of the dam, similar to how you con-trol the hot and cold water from your kitchen sink. As a result, the PUD can help regulate river temperatures, warming or cooling as needed to make sure the water is just right for life in the river below!

Your Power is 98% Carbon-Free!

Community Solar Shines

T he PUD’s 500-kW community solar array be-gan generating clean, renewable energy in May. Hundreds of PUD customers who raced to

Engineering a Goldilocks Zone for Salmon

You Can Support Renewable Energy

Along with providing a home for the Community Solar array, the Arlington Microgrid will test energy technologies such as two-way charging stations, so power from electric vehicles can be returned to the grid in times of high demand.

In late July, PUD staff and community stakeholders gathered at one of the recreational sites at Spada Lake to celebrate the completion of the Water Temperature Conditioning Project. If you haven’t explored the recreational sites around Spada Lake, check them out at snopud.com/jhp!

purchase space on the array are now receiving a credit on their monthly bills. Interest was so strong that de-spite being the largest community solar project in the state, room on the array was fully reserved in less than a month! In addition to providing carbon-free energy, the so-lar array is part of the future Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Technology Center. When complete, the solar array will be able to power critical PUD func-tions in the wake of a major disaster, expediting recov-ery efforts for the region.

“The Sultan River fish populations are every bit as good or better than surrounding watersheds, which is important. We do a great job of protecting our fish and we have a passion for it.” – Larry Lowe, PUD Fish Biologist

W ater is the backbone of power in the Pacif-ic Northwest. Hydropower is a renewable and sustainable resource, supplying reliable

energy to our homes, schools and businesses. It’s also why the PUD can proudly claim to be 98% carbon-free! More than 80% of your clean energy comes from federally operated hydroelectric projects, like those on the Columbia and Snake rivers, part of the PUD’s long-term agreements with the Bonneville Power Adminis-tration (BPA). The electricity produced by BPA is sent

across transmission lines to the PUD. When the elec-tricity reaches the PUD, substations reduce the voltage and distribute this clean energy safely to our homes. Because the water flowing through our rivers is free and replenished each year by rain and snow, the operat-ing costs for hydropower tend to be low and protected from fluctuations in price. As a result, electricity bills in the Northwest are among the lowest in the nation!

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ECRWSSPOSTAL CUSTOMER

Be Storm Ready

emergency preparednessThe PUD encourages customers to create an emer-gency kit to keep them safe and comfortable during power outages. Pack your kit with flashlights, batteries, matches, drinking water, food, blankets and a first-aid kit. For a more complete list of recommended supplies, visit snopud.com/winterprep.

Outage InfoStay informed during storms by visiting the PUD’s Outage Center (snopud.com/outages). Get tips on what to do in a power outage and visit the PUD’s Outage Map to report your outage and track outages through-out the utility’s service territory. Customers can also call 425-783-1001 to report an outage.

W hatever the weather brings this fall and win-ter, your PUD is ready! In preparation for seasonal storms, the PUD takes steps to

make sure its storm response is quick and power dis-ruptions to customers are minimal. The PUD trims trees, clears limbs and brush from power lines, and stocks key supplies like wire, poles and transformers in preparation for storm response. The PUD also devel-ops pre-set agreements with contractors and mutual-aid crews from around the region in the event of a full-scale storm response.

FACT: On Nov. 17, 2015, a pair of wind storms hit the PUD’s service territory, knocking out power to more customers than ever before in the utility’s history. The storm took nine transmission lines out of service and caused 205,000 customers to lose power. At the height of restoration efforts, the PUD had 90 crews in the field and a total of 500 workers. Within 48 hours, outages were down to approximately 24,000. All customers were restored within five days after the storm hit.

Be SafeEmployee and customer safety are top priorities for your PUD. During storms, remember to stay far away from fallen power lines and never use a gas grill or portable generator indoors. If you see a downed power line or an-other life-threatening situation, call 911.