Grounded: a Podcast by the Oregon Department of Energy

On our latest episode of Grounded, Alan Johnston, Senior Engineer for the City of Gresham Wastewater Treatment Plant, is with us to talk about the plant’s operations (everybody poops!), and how they’ve implemented energy projects onsite that end up producing more electricity than the plant can even use. Gresham has also become the first certified facility for Renewable Energy Certificates for ther...

We’re in Northeast Portland this week, talking to Carolina Iraheta Gonzalez, Verde’s Community Energy Advocate. Verde is part of the Living Cully collaborative, an effort to boost sustainability as an anti-poverty strategy in the Cully neighborhood. Living Cully released its Community Energy Plan earlier this year – Carolina tells us about in this week’s episode. Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.go...

We are in Lebanon, Oregon this week, interviewing Brian Trice, Executive Director for the Columbia Willamette Clean Cities Coalition, a nonprofit focused on boosting alternative fuels in our state. Brian dives in to the Coalition’s work in Oregon, how the Advanced Transportation Technology Center at Linn-Benton Community College plays a role in alternative fuels, and his upcoming Green Transportat...

Grounded is back with a new season – and we are jumping right in with the fascinating, innovative work NuScale Power is doing in Corvallis, Oregon. NuScale was borne from research funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through Idaho National Environment & Engineering Laboratory, with support from Oregon State University. Today, the company is nearing certification from the Nuclear Regulatory Comm...

When you flip on your light switch at home, do you ever think about where that electricity came from? Energy facilities like wind farms and power plants are spread out among our communities, producing energy to keep our state running. The birth of an energy facility – and its lifespan – is dependent on a governor-appointed body by called the Energy Facility Siting Council. Their complex work is su...

For 18 years, Coyote Trails has been helping Oregon families – and beyond – reconnect with nature. In 2015, Coyote Trails became powered by the sun, thanks to a large solar pavilion installation at the School of Nature in Medford, Oregon. On this episode of Grounded, Coyote Trails Nature Center Director Molly Kreuzman and True South Solar Owner/Sales Manager Shawn Schreiner tell us about Coyote Tr...

The Cascadia Subduction Zone runs 700 miles along the Pacific Northwest coast – from northern California up to Vancouver Island. The Juan de Fuca plate is shoved up against the North American tectonic plate – eventually, the plates will give way, and North America will spring back with an earthquake anywhere from an 8.0 on the Richter Scale to higher than a 9… it’s known as a megathrust earthquake...

On this week’s podcast, we continue our multi-part series on the Hanford Nuclear Site near Richland, Washington. Oregon Department of Energy Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety, Ken Niles, is back to talk to us about Hanford’s biggest cleanup challenge: millions of gallons of radioactive and chemically hazardous waste stored in underground tanks at Hanford. Tune in to hear Ken talk tank waste, v...

On August 21, a total solar eclipse will begin its journey across the United States right here in Oregon. From Depoe Bay to Ontario, sun watchers will witness up to two minutes of totality – where the moon will completely cover the sun. On this week’s Grounded podcast, Oregon Department of Energy Analyst Rob DelMar talks about how the eclipse will affect solar in Oregon and beyond. Oregon Departme...

On this week’s podcast, we continue our multi-part series on the Hanford Nuclear Site near Richland, Washington. Oregon Department of Energy Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety, Ken Niles, is back to talk to us about the early years of the Hanford cleanup. When Hanford shifted to cleanup in the early 1990s, the dream was to complete the project in just 30 years. Ken shares why that dream won’t b...

Rock down to Electric Avenue. On this week’s podcast, we talk to Forth Executive Director Jeff Allen. Forth, formerly known as Drive Oregon, is helping Oregonians find alternative, low- or zero-emission transportation options. In May, Forth opened its Electric Showcase – the first of its kind in the nation. At the Showcase, people can learn more about electric vehicles, charging options, and even...

This week, Grounded is with the Portland Trail Blazers, talking about the organization’s ongoing commitment to saving energy and going green. Trail Blazers Vice President of Social Responsibility Christa Stout and Assistant General Manager of Facility Operations Scott Sisson talk to us about their 2025 goals, how they’ve reduced energy in half over the last decade, and how they’re teaming up with...

Just southeast of Jefferson, Oregon, 85 acres of hybrid poplar trees have a special mission: demonstrate how poplars can be quickly and economically grown, harvested, and converted into renewable biofuels. In this week’s podcast, Greenwood Resources’ Chief Science Officer, Brian Stanton, talks to us about the Advanced Hardwood Biofuels, a consortium working to demonstrate how trees can power airpl...

Radioactive jam, anyone? Check out this bonus material from Episode 4: Hanford's Burping Tank. Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety Ken Niles talks about some shenanigans at Hanford and the larger Manhattan Project. Be sure to listen to our previous podcast episodes about Hanford production and the transition to cleanup. See photos: energyinfo.oregon.gov Learn more about us: www.oregon.gov/energy...

After recording "Hanford's Burping Tank," an episode about the extent of the waste cleanup at the Hanford Nuclear Site, the area experienced a real emergency when part of a tunnel storing contaminated waste partially collapsed. Oregon activated its Agency Operations Center, and went to work. Our Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety, Ken Niles, shares some info about the incident and Oregon's resp...

If you haven't already, please listen to our first Hanford episode, "The Atomic Man." This week, Ken Niles, the Oregon Department of Energy's Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety, continues his Hanford history lesson, moving from the production days of Hanford over to the transition to cleanup. Ken describes the overwhelming problem at Hanford, and the many challenges we face. This multi-part ser...

A Home Energy Score can help homeowners and homebuyers better understand how a home uses energy – and what steps they can take to improve energy efficiency. Oregon is on the leading edge of Home Energy Scores in the United States. A voluntary state-wide program and a mandatory Portland program are helping set the standard for a more energy-efficient housing market. Oregon Department of Energy Anal...

Check out this bonus material from Episode 2: The Atomic Man. In this short recording, Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety Ken Niles discusses the larger nuclear complex in America in the late 1980s. Be sure to listen to The Atomic Man for more information about Hanford. See photos: energyinfo.oregon.gov Learn more about us: www.oregon.gov/energy Music: "If" by Broke For Free, freemusicarchive.o...

For more than 40 years, the federal government produced plutonium for America's nuclear weapons program at the Hanford Nuclear Site in southeast Washington. The now-decommissioned site is home to immense amounts of radioactive waste - and Oregon has a huge stake in ensuring the safe and timely cleanup. Hanford sits just 35 miles from Oregon's border along the Columbia River. In what will be a mult...

In December 2016, Eugene, Oregon was hit with a major ice storm - thousands of residents lost power for several days. The Eugene Water & Electric Board (EWEB), a public electric and water utility, went into full emergency response mode in the aftermath of the storm. EWEB Communications Specialist Jen Connors shares her experience and lessons learned from the storm. See photos: http://energyinfo.or...

Coming soon: Grounded, a new podcast by the Oregon Department of Energy. Here on Grounded, we’ll be talking energy in the Beaver State – from renewable energy and the history of nuclear power… to utilities, businesses, nonprofits, schools, and Oregon families going green and making a difference. Learn more about us at www.oregon.gov/energy. Music: "If" by Broke for Free. http://freemusicarchive.or...