20131007Comments (2 Total).pdf

Jean Jewell
From:js_weber@ hotmail.com
Sent:Saturday,October 05,2013 10:40 AM
To:Beverly Barker;Jean Jewell;Gene Fadness
Cc:js_weber@ hotmail.com
Subject:Case Comment Form:John Weber
Name:John Weber
Case Number:IPC-E-13-15
Email:[e-mail]
Telephone:
Address:7855 W Hummel Dr
Boise ID,83709
Name of Utility Company:Idaho Power
Acknowledge public record:True
Comment:One flaw of the current IRP process is that the Idaho Power picked council (listed
on page 2 in Appendix C)does not represent the majority of Idaho Power customers.The
council should be made up of new people/interest groups and lose incumbent people/interest
groups in an ordered fashion.When confronted with new challenges,the incumbent
people/interest groups lack new ideas that are needed for new and better solutions.
The whole IRP process is controlled by Idaho Power so that in the end the plan is the one
Idaho Power knows will be preferred.Idaho Power does the modeling.Idaho Power picks the
resources,even if other better and less expensive resources exist.In the end Idaho Power
picks the portfolios to choose from.Idaho Power determines the costs.My last next door
neighbor came from the area by the Boardman coal plant.Her 4 year old son and 8 year old
daughter both had asthma.They said many people in the community have asthma.Where is the
cost of health care for the people in the communities around the coal plants in the IRP?What
other costs are associated with other generation resources?Where do they show up?Cost of
smog?http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn24246-green-energy-pays-for-itself-in-lives-
saved-from-smog.html?cmpid=RSS INSNS 12012-GLOBAL lonline-news
It has been common practice at IRP meetings to show the Peak Day energy load and the
generation that was used to meet that load.This information is interesting but has very
limited use in the IPR planning process.A one day snap shot can distort the norm.A much
more helpful graph would be the average daily load and generation for a month.I would
suggest the month of August (for the summer load)and the month of January (for the winter
load).
Worldwide climate scientists are in consensus regarding climate change.Many global
corporations have blue prints to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.Scientists know that
if we burn all the recoverable coal,gas,and oil that the climate will be unlivable for
billions of humans.Coal,gas,oil,and uranium all have limited supplies on the planet
earth.Long term,renewable generation resources will have to provide for all of our energy
needs.This is where we will have to end up if modern civilization is to continue.The IRP
process should address this and plan for a day with renewables powering the entire grid.
Idaho Power’s Crown Jewel is its hydroelectric generation system.This system was designed
for peak performance based on the climate of the past.Climate Change threatens the
performance of this resource.Defending this most precious asset is in Idaho Power’s best
interest and well as the ratepayer’s best interest.The best way to do this is to drastically
reduce the amount of green house gases that Idaho Power puts in the atmosphere and at the
same time encourage others to do the same.
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Idaho Power is a public corporation.Public corporations were originally allowed to form to
serve the public.Now it seems that the purpose is to mostly enrich upper management.
Corporate profits and the public interest can both be served.Instead of Idaho Power trying
to shut down the renewable energy projects with its ad campaign as well as its cases with the
PUC,Idaho Power could ask the PUC for a rate of return on purchased power.
I have noticed a mark able difference in Idaho Power’s action regarding non-company owned
generation in the last two and a half years.It appears to have happened about the same time
Lisa Grow took on different responsibilities.I can only guess the decision for the
difference in how the company has been acting regarding purchased power was made by the
executive board of directors.The campaign has been well funded and broad in its scope
encompassing PUC petitioning,bill inserts,a new website,web advertisements,other media,
and indoctrinating all employees of Idaho Power.I don’t believe it has been at all
successful and has actually hurt the company’s reputation.I believe mid-level and lower
management is following the direction of upper management.
In looking at the Monthly Average Energy Surplus/Deficits with Existing Resources I see for
the next 20 years there are many more surpluses than deficits and the deficits for the most
part occur in the summer months.Summer months also have Peak-Hour Deficits with Existing
Resources.
The most efficient use of Idaho Power’s capital is not to build more generation/transmission
but to incorporate more efficiency in its systems.I support incentives for energy efficiency
and demand side management to reduce the summer peak load.I also support efficiency and
conservation education.
So far,rate design has not been addressed in Idaho Power’s IRP.With proper rate design,
Idaho Power will be able to offer its customers low power bills.Low rates don’t always equal
low power bills and visa versa.Low bills are ultimately more important for all customer
classes than low rates.When we have higher rates with the same or lower bills we know that
we are accomplishing the goals of efficiency,conservation,and demand side management.I
encourage Idaho Power to address rate design in the 2015 IRP.With all the surplus power
available,using smart rate design the surpluses can offset many of the deficits.
The Sales and Load forecasts for the IRP period seem reasonable for the most part.
The Shoshone Falls upgrade does not look to be the best committed resource considering the
long term declining stream flows and poor peak capacity.Peak capacity is the deficit and
this upgrade does very little to address it,see tables in Appendix C starting page 53.By
entrenching a project or line of reasoning at times without re-evaluating the current needs,
projects can get built that don’t economically meet the current or future demands.A big
problem with Idaho Power’s portfolio is it lacks balance and diversity.This lack of balance
and diversity can be seen in figure 5.4,page 60 IRP.The utility is required to meet load,
not exceed load by hundreds of aMW per month.Upgrading Shoshone Falls would be adding
unbalance to an already unbalanced portfolio,see figure 3.3 on page 24 IRP.The last thing
the portfolio needs is more hydroelectric power!One of the reasons the wholesale price of
power sometimes drops below zero in the late spring is because of too much hydroelectric
power capacity in the Pacific Northwest.http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.cfm?id=5110
Idaho Power complains about wholesale negative prices of power and blames it on wind,which
is one reason.Now they want to add more hydroelectric capacity that is another reason for
the wholesale negative price of power.If Shoshone Falls upgrades are completed they can only
blame themselves in the future for wholesale negative prices.
Cloud seeding is something the PUC should study very closely.There are studies that show
downwind of cloud seeding,less precipitation will fall.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC433258/This brings up possible liability
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concerns relating less precipitation and its effects downwind.Studies regarding cloud
seeding should be done by the PUC or under the direction of the PUC by a 3rd party.In China
a costly snow storm was caused by cloud seeding.http:!/www.popsci.com/science/article!2009-
il/chinas -weather-manipulation-brings-crippling-snowstorm-beijing
As usual,the solar PV prices and capacity factors are not accurate.If utility scale solar
was installed it would be unlikely that it would be installed in Boise.More likely it would
be installed sunnier Owyhee County close to high voltage power lines or close to the Murphy
substation.Using the same PVWatts program that Idaho Power used in Appendix C but instead of
the location of Boise,using the location of Murphy changes everything as the kWh/m2/day are
much more.Also,on a utility scale a single axis tracker increases peak capacity as well as
annual capacity.The inaccuracies with the solar PV prices and capacity result in over
estimated nameplate needed to meet 2ø MW demand (page 84 IRP).See latest study by the
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.http://emp.lbl.gov/sites!all/files/lbnl-6408e_@.pdf.
The consideration of spending money to upgrade coal generation without adding carbon capture
seems very short sighted and costly for the ratepayer.Also,the Gateway West transmission
project will have questionable value without coal generation equipped with carbon capture.
Unique Identifier:67.60.33.176
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Jean Jewell
From:[e-mail]
Sent:Saturday,October 05,2013 9:52 PM
To:Beverly Barker;Jean Jewell;Gene Fadness
Cc:[e-mail]
Subject:Case Comment Form:Janet Beckley
Name:Janet Beckley
Case Number:
Email:Jibeck1eyyahoo.com
Telephone:[phone]
Address:1120 n.8th st.
Boise Idaho,83702
Name of Utility Company:Idaho power
Acknowledge public record:True
Comment:Please mandate that Idaho Power has renewable resources as part of its portfolio.
They recently did not purchase wind power.Please rock Idaho keeping it as clean as
possible.
Unique Identifier:24.117.25.232
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