Solar Power

Washington’s Yakama Nation received both a grant and a $100 million federal loan to build a large solar project. Held up by a series of bureaucratic hurdles, the funding could expire before the government lets the tribal nation access the money. OPB Investigative Editor Tony Schick joins us to explain how bureaucracy is getting in the way of progress.

Officials at the federal Bureau of Land Management announced Aug. 29 they had finalized a plan to add Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Washington and Wyoming to its existing Western Solar Plan — an Obama-era project that expanded permitting for solar projects on federal land.

Washington’s Yakama Nation received both a solar grant and a $100 million federal loan. Held up by a series of bureaucratic hurdles, the funding could expire before the government lets the tribal nation touch a dime.

One of the largest community solar projects in Portland aimed at helping lower energy bills for some Cully residents is nearly ready to power on.

An investigation from High Country News and ProPublica earlier this year revealed a solar developer omitted culturally significant sites from its land survey in eastern Washington. We'll hear from the reporter.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Oregon will receive $86.6 million through the Solar for All grant.

Millions of acres of federal public land in five Western states, including Washington and Oregon, could be opened up to solar energy production.

Drops in solar and wind energy production, also known as energy droughts, could potentially last for hours in the Pacific Northwest. New research is aimed at helping grid planners better understand these energy gaps and where solutions, like battery storage, could be best utilized.

Historic funding to the Rural Energy for America program has helped fund more than three dozen rural solar projects in Oregon this year.

The Indigenous Achuar people in Ecuador's Amazon rainforest sail in six solar-powered canoes. And it's not just to save money on fuel — the trees of the rainforest will benefit too.