A long-term commitment to energy efficiency has helped Biomass One, a 28.5-megawatt cogeneration facility in White City which burns wood waste to generate renewable power, slash 4.1 million kilowatts from its annual energy use.

Biomass One first worked with Energy Trust of Oregon in 2009 to boost efficiency in its primary process. Installing new fans and motors with variable frequency drives delivered annual savings of 3.35 million kWh.

Starting in 2017, plant personnel dedicated five years to replacing 99% of the facility’s lighting with new, energy-efficient LEDs. Lighting improvements trimmed the plant’s annual electricity use by 555,000 kWh. Installation came to just $80,000 because Biomass One did all the work in-house, buying LEDs from their local vendor. Energy Trust cash incentives totaling $39,000 made for a favorable return on investment.

In 2021 and 2022, Biomass One enrolled in Strategic Energy Management (SEM) — an Energy Trust offering that helps organizations identify no- or low-cost operations and maintenance improvements that deliver lasting savings. Guided by Energy Trust experts, employees generated a list of low- to no-cost savings opportunities. Working through that list, Biomass One is making simple changes.

“We’re not done yet, we know we have more work to do,” said Louis Eck, purchasing agent at Biomass One. “We’re a renewable energy power plant, so energy we save is energy we can sell to PacifiCorp and provide to Oregonians.”