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Portland General Electric to Develop Large Wind Farm

Portland General Electric on Tuesday announced plans to acquire the development rights for what would be the largest wind farm in Oregon and one of the largest in the country. If state regulators approve the agreement, which was reached with Oakland, Calif.-based Orion Energy, PGE could begin the first phase of the $200 million project as early as next summer. The turbines would rise from Sherman County’s Biglow Canyon near the Columbia River Gorge town of Wasco. All told, PGE envisions owning a 225-turbine project with a 350- megawatt to 450-megawatt capacity. That’s enough electricity to power about 100,000 homes. The announcement highlights the utility’s embrace of an ambitious investment strategy to reduce its dependence on increasingly expensive wholesale markets and natural gas-fired power plants. “It will help us diversify away from more volatile fuel sources,” said Jim Lobdell, PGE’s vice president of power operations and resource strategy. PGE, a publicly traded company previously owned by the bankrupt Enron, is Oregon’s largest utility, with 775,000 customers. It owns enough thermal and hydro-powered plants to generate about half the power it needs for its residential and business accounts. It relies on the wholesale market for the remainder. Since 2000, wholesale prices […]

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Timberland Signs Licensing Agreement with Swatch

The Timberland Company (NYSE: TBL), a leader in premium footwear, apparel and gear for the outdoors announced it signed a major new licensing agreement with Endura SA, the private label and licensing company of the Swatch Group Ltd., the largest manufacturer and distributor of watches and jewelry in the world. Endura will develop a new collection inspired by the outdoors and representative of Timberland’s values. The collection will be marketed under the Timberland brand and will include premium offerings for both men and women across casual and performance categories. The collection will begin to hit the Global market in May 2006. Patrick Baboin, Timberland’s Vice President of Licensing, noted that the Swatch Group is recognized as a global leader in design, innovation and marketing, and continued: “The Group also has a reputation for a unique ability to design product that is relevant across a range of consumer groups. We’ve been impressed from the start with their leadership in design and manufacturing, as well as their marketing savvy and widescale distribution network. They have shown a strong connection to the Timberland brand values, and we’re very pleased to have them as a partner.” The Swatch Group is an expert in the […]

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Palo Alto Renewables Program #1 in U.S.

PaloAltoGreen, the renewable energy program offered by the City of Palo Alto Utilities, has achieved the nation’s highest participation rate, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) 2005 Top Ten list. With 13.6% of utility customers enrolled, PaloAltoGreen has outperformed the national average of 1.3% participation for green pricing programs. This is the first year that PaloAltoGreen has achieved the #1 spot for best-in-nation participation. NREL is the U.S. Department of Energy’s primary national laboratory for renewable energy and energy efficiency research and development. Each year, NREL releases “Top 10” rankings of the nation’s best performing renewable energy utility programs. Such programs allow electricity consumers to support electricity generated from renewable resources such as wind, biomass, and solar. The popularity of this green power option has far exceeded expectations. A key to PaloAltoGreen’s success has been the program’s innovative implementation and the community’s enthusiastic support. Offered through the City of Palo Alto Utilities in partnership with 3 Phases Energy, the program takes a community-oriented approach and tracks the tangible environmental benefits of participation. More than 100 businesses have committed to PaloAltoGreen, including major corporations such as Agilent Technologies, CV Therapeutics, HP, Lockheed Martin, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Roche Palo […]

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