Otis Singleton
Idaho Power is the main energy supplier in Idaho, providing energy to 84 cities across the state. The company owns and operates thousands of miles of power lines and hundreds of substations to deliver energy from power plants to its customers. Idaho Power offers a Green Power Program, which provides renewable energy certificates to customers. The company also offers net metering solutions, allowing customers to sell electricity back into the grid. However, legislative or regulatory actions can affect or eliminate one's ability to sell excess power generated.
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What You'll Learn
Idaho Power's Green Power Program
In 2020, about 42% of the energy in Idaho Power's grid came from hydroelectric sources, 4% from solar, and 11% from wind power. While Idaho Power sells renewable energy certificates, some energy sources, like hydroelectric plants, do not generate certificates. The Green Power Program enables customers to purchase certificates separately, ensuring their energy usage is entirely renewable. For example, if a customer uses 950 kWh of energy in a month, they would pay $9.50 more on their bill to participate in the Green Power Program, paying an additional 1 cent per kWh.
The proceeds from the sale of these certificates are intended to lower customers' electricity costs and promote the development of new clean energy facilities. The program is a step towards meeting the needs of customers who want to go beyond Idaho Power's current clean energy offerings, which are primarily focused on hydropower generation.
The certificates for the Green Power Program can be sourced from within Idaho or other states, like Oregon. The specific rules and definitions of renewable energy sources vary by state, creating a complex dynamic in the Western electric grid. Idaho Power maintains and operates the infrastructure, including power lines and substations, to deliver energy from various sources to customers across its vast service area in Idaho.
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Renewable energy certificates
Idaho Power, which provides energy to much of Southern Idaho, offers renewable energy certificates (RECs) to customers with its Green Power Program. The Green Power Program allows customers to get certificates back, so that the energy they use is completely renewable. Idaho Power first produces and buys energy, then sells the corresponding renewable energy certificates. At the end of the month, Idaho Power buys back some of the certificates for those participating in the Green Power Program.
RECs can be bought and sold independently of the electricity. When someone wants to claim that their electricity came from renewable sources, they need to use both a certificate and the corresponding amount of energy. Idaho Power buys and sells RECs to offset power supply costs and keep customer prices as low as possible. The buyer of the REC gets to claim that power as part of its energy, and Idaho Power does not represent that electricity produced by this resource mix is being delivered to its retail customers.
Each state sets its own rules and goals for what counts as a renewable energy source. Idaho does not have a state law mandating how much of its electricity comes from renewable sources. However, Idaho Power's largest source of electricity is clean hydropower generation, and it also offers wind and solar energy.
RECs can be purchased locally, regionally, or nationally, with month-to-month or up to three-year commitment options. The costs are in addition to the electric bill, with wind and solar energy available for an extra penny per kilowatt-hour.
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Idaho's electricity sources
Hydropower (Renewable)
Hydropower is Idaho's largest source of electricity, with the state's abundant water resources providing clean and affordable energy. Idaho Power, the state's primary electricity provider, operates 17 hydroelectric projects on the Snake River and its tributaries, making it their largest generation source. Hydroelectric power plants typically supplied more than two-thirds of Idaho's total in-state electricity generation until 2012. However, due to droughts and increased generation from other renewables, hydropower's share has decreased to less than half since 2012.
Solar and Wind Power (Renewable)
Idaho Power also purchases energy from numerous solar producers, with a combined capacity of over 779 megawatts, and this figure is expected to grow. Additionally, they buy energy from wind projects, further diversifying their renewable energy portfolio. These sources of renewable energy are also eligible for renewable energy certificates (RECs), which can be bought and sold independently of the electricity itself.
Natural Gas (Non-Renewable)
Idaho Power operates four natural gas plants to ensure reliable electricity production. While Idaho's total natural gas consumption is among the 10 lowest states, the industrial and electric power sectors are the largest natural gas consumers in the state, accounting for 29% each of the state's natural gas use.
Geothermal Energy (Renewable)
In 2023, Idaho was one of seven states with utility-scale electricity generation from geothermal energy. While it currently provides less than 1% of the state's total generation, Idaho's volcanic landscape offers significant geothermal potential. The state's first commercial geothermal power plant came online in 2008 and is the only one of its kind in the US Northwest.
Coal and Oil (Non-Renewable)
Idaho Power is ranked 108th out of 3530 electric suppliers in the nation for total megawatt-hours generated from coal. However, the state is moving away from coal and reducing carbon emissions. Idaho does not have significant crude oil reserves and produces only a small amount of crude oil.
It is worth noting that Idaho does not have a renewable portfolio standard (RPS) that mandates a specific amount of electricity to be generated from renewable sources by a specific date. However, the state offers incentives for renewable energy projects, such as low-interest loans and tax deductions for small-scale renewable energy-fueled devices.
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$10.47
Idaho Power's customer generation tariffs
Idaho Power provides energy to much of Southern Idaho, owning and operating thousands of miles of power lines and hundreds of substations to deliver energy from power plants to customers. Idaho Power's on-site generation tariffs are not contracts and are subject to change at any time upon the order of the Idaho Public Utilities Commission (IPUC) or Oregon Public Utility Commission (OPUC). These tariffs apply to customers who install their own generation sources, such as solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal, or fuel cells, and remain connected to Idaho Power's grid.
Idaho Power's on-site generation tariffs include Schedules 6, 8, and 84 in Idaho and Schedule 84 in Oregon. These tariffs are subject to change and may include modifications to rates, billing components, billing structure, compensation structure, and the value of excess energy produced by the customer's on-site generation system. Customers billed under these schedules who generate more energy than they need send the excess energy to Idaho Power's grid. Idaho Power measures and bills energy use under a real-time net billing structure, charging for all kWh consumed from the grid at the retail rate and compensating customers for all kWh exported to the grid at a time-differentiated export credit rate (ECR). The ECR is updated annually, and customers can find the current value on Idaho Power's website.
The process of delivering electricity from power plants to customers involves power generated at plants moving through transformers that increase the voltage to up to 500,000 volts. High-voltage transmission lines then carry electricity throughout Idaho Power's 24,000-square-mile service area. However, customers cannot use power directly from these high-voltage lines. Instead, power is stepped down through substations and transformers to distribution levels, typically around 12,500 volts. Lower-voltage distribution lines then deliver electricity from substations to customers, with the final transformers reducing voltages to 120 or 240 volts for use in homes and businesses.
Idaho Power also offers renewable energy certificates (RECs) through its Green Power Program. While most hydroelectric plants do not generate RECs, solar and wind do. The Green Power Program allows customers to ensure their energy use is completely renewable by buying back renewable energy certificates. In 2020, all the certificates bought for the program came from Idaho or Oregon.
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Idaho Power's energy losses
Idaho Power, an investor-owned organisation, provides electricity to 84 cities across two states in the US: Oregon and Idaho. The company sources its electricity from multiple sources, including megawatt hours produced in their electricity facilities and additional megawatt hours purchased through wholesale channels. In 2023, Idaho Power sold 82.37% of their total megawatt hours via normal retail sales to end users.
In terms of energy losses, Idaho Power reported a yearly loss of approximately 6.50% of the electricity transmitted, ranking them 7th best out of 3530 electricity suppliers in the US. These losses are due to various factors, including heat dissipation during the transmission of electricity, which is a common challenge in the electricity generation business.
The company's outages last, on average, about 142.53 minutes per outage. Idaho Power has 25 power plants and generates 50.95% of their electricity using renewable fuel types, with the other 49.05% coming from non-renewable fuels. In 2020, 42% of the energy entering Idaho Power's electric grid was from hydroelectric sources, 4% from solar, and 11% from wind.
While Idaho Power does not have a state-mandated renewable portfolio standard, they offer renewable energy certificates (RECs) to their customers through the Green Power Program. This program allows customers to ensure their energy use is completely renewable. In 2020, the renewable energy certificates purchased through this program came from Idaho or Oregon.
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Frequently asked questions
To sell electricity in Idaho, you must first install solar panels or modify an existing on-site generation system. Idaho Power, the main electricity provider in the state, allows customers to sell electricity back into the grid through net metering solutions.
Net metering allows customers with solar panels to sell electricity back into the grid, making solar panel installation more economically feasible.
Customers who install their own generation sources, such as solar or wind, can offset their energy needs and sell excess energy back to Idaho Power's grid. Energy use is measured and billed under a real-time net billing structure, which charges for energy consumed from the grid and compensates for energy exported to the grid.
There are specific equipment requirements and designs depending on your rate schedule and system size. You must also submit a System Verification Form and have your system pass a state or city electrical inspection.
The average residential price per kWh for Idaho Power is 11.87 cents.
