Grounded is back in action! We’re excited to welcome Bryan Hockaday as host, who recently joined the Oregon Department of Energy’s communications team. In this first episode of the Grounded reboot, join Bryan as he begins his expedition across the state to learn all about energy in Oregon. Learn More: https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2024/4/29/gr…

On this episode of Grounded, we explore ODOE's second Biennial Zero Emission Report with EV expert, Jessica Reichers. We take the opportunity to learn about report topics, policy and consumer resources, and some interesting differences between the 2023 and 2021 EV landscape.Find links and resources mentioned in the interview here: https://energyinf…

On this episode, Jen Senner joins the podcast to help us understand federal funding that has been allocated for energy and climate programs here in Oregon. Jen is a Federal Grants Officer here at ODOE and does a wonderful job at explaining the background of this funding and how ODOE is working hard to get it in the hands of Oregonians.Find links an…

On this timely Grounded episode, we’re joined by the Oregon Global Warming Commission’s Chair, Cathy Macdonald, and ODOE’s Senior Climate Policy Analyst, Zach Baker. We dive into three important reports the Commission published earlier this year: an Oregon Climate Action Roadmap to 2030, a companion TIGHGER Project Report, and the Commission’s usua…

Congressman Peter DeFazio shares how the Northwest Power Act was created and some of the disastrous events of that surrounded that event.Learn more about our work at www.oregon.gov/energy.Music: “If” by Broke for Free.freemusicarchive.org/music/Broke_Fo…Free/Layers/IfBy State of Oregon

On the third episode of a special Grounded series called Oregon Energy Timeline Conversations, we sit down with the Energy Trust of Oregon's founding executive director, Margie Harris. Learn about the early days of ETO and the passionate energy work lead by Margie in this intimate and candid interview. Learn more about our work at www.oregon.gov/en…

On the second episode of a special Grounded series called Oregon Energy Timeline Conversations, we meet with ODOE’s Hanford Hydrogeologist, Tom Sicilia. Tom will share the state of nuclear energy in Oregon and a little about it’s past and potential future!Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2022/9/28/grounded-podcast-oregon-energy-timeline-con…

On this special Grounded series called Oregon Energy Timeline Conversations, we meet with Mr. Sun- John Patterson. John has earned the name "Mr. Sun" as a solar pioneer whose company installed more than 3,000 solar systems, and who helped get legislation passed to make alternative energy more affordable.Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2022…

On this episode of Grounded we talk with Oregon Home Energy Score experts Roger Kainu, Peter Brandom, and Dacia Bakkum. For homeowners, buyers, sellers, assessors, and real-estate agents- this episode is a must!Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2022/4/27/grounded-podcast-oregons-home-energy-score-program for fun photos and topic resources.Le…

On this episode of Grounded we sit down with Jessica Reichers, ODOE's Energy Technology & Policy Manager and EV expert. We discuss the inaugural Biennial Zero Emission Report and how to make it work for you! Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2021/11/12/grounded-podcast-2021-bizev-amp-ev-extravaganza for fun photos and topic resources.Learn m…

On this episode of Grounded we dive into the hot topic of energy storage, specifically- pumped-storage hydropower. Rebecca Smith from ODEO joins us as well as Erik Steimle from Rye Development for this fascinating and timely discussion!Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2021/9/28/grounded-podcast-pump-up-the-hydro for fun photos and topic res…

On this episode of Grounded, we learn about Oregon's first net-zero preschool with New Day School teacher, Didi Jayagitta and Green Hammer team members, Laura Squillace and Alex Boetzel.Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2021/7/14/grounded-podcast-new-day-school-green-hammer-oregons-first-net-zero-preschool?rq=alex%20boetzel for fun photos an…

On this episode of Grounded we learn about Arcimoto's electric three-wheel vehicles with founder and CEO, Mark Frohnmayer.Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2021/6/11/grounded-podcast-hello-arcimoto?rq=arcimoto for fun photos and topic resources.Learn more about our work at www.oregon.gov/energy.Music: “If” by Broke for Free.freemusicarchive.…

On this interactive episode of Grounded, we sit down with ODOE’s Director, Janine Benner, and walk through the Oregon Energy History Timeline section of the 2020 Biennial Energy Report. Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov/blog/2021/4/23/grounded-podcast-back-in-time-with-janine-benner for photos and helpful links.Learn more about our work at www.or…

On this special episode of Grounded, we meet up with ODOE’s Senior Energy Policy Analyst, John Cornwell, who takes us through the fundamentals of the exciting renewable energy resource that is biomass. Then we’ll dig deeper into to the electricity potential for Oregon with Oregon Torrefaction’s CTO, Dr. Wayne Lei.Visit https://energyinfo.oregon.gov…

On this episode of Grounded we meet with Charles Sekafetz, the Program Chair for Chemeketa Community College's Electronics Program, and learn about the Renewable Energy Management path. As the renewable energy industry continues to grow, so do these specialized jobs. We learn from Charles what the program offers and how this new wave of energy work…

On this episode of Grounded we meet DEQ's Clean Fuels Program Manager, Cory Ann Wind, and learn about the program's work towards decreasing the amount of pollution allowed from transportation fuels in Oregon. In fact, their goal is 25% by 2035! Cory Ann shares with us some of the program's growing pains, how their clean fuel incentives work, and a …

Grounded is back this month with a new episode so we can bid a fond farewell to Oregon Department of Energy's own Assistant Director for Nuclear Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Ken Niles. After 31 years with the agency, Ken is retiring and moving on to new adventures! Join us as we talk to Ken about his time with ODOE and his thoughts on what is…

We’re in Portland for our latest episode of Grounded, talking with TriMet, the metro area’s public transit agency. TriMet has been helping Oregonians on the move for 50 years – and they’re on the leading edge of sustainability in transportation. Public Information Officer Tia York tells us all about the agency’s latest electric bus pilot, mini wind…

Everybody poops. On our latest episode of Grounded, we’re joined by Paul Suto, Engineering Manager with the City of Portland’s Bureau of Environmental Services. BES is working on its “Poop to Power” project, which will convert methane from wastewater treatment processes into useable, renewable energy. See photos and get helpful links at https://ene…

Today on Grounded, we’re talking to Matt Teske, founder and CEO of Chargeway, an Oregon-based company focused on making it easy to charge your electric vehicle. Chargeway’s innovative platform takes the guesswork out of how and where you charge your electric vehicle, using color-coded plug types and simple numbers for charging speed. Visit energyin…

On our latest episode of Grounded, we’re talking solar energy and virtual net metering in Ashland, Oregon. Stu Green, the City of Ashland’s Climate and Energy Analyst, talks about the city’s bold strategy for expanding access to renewable solar electricity to more Oregonians.Ashland is committed to fighting climate change, and was an early adopter …

For our latest episode of Grounded, we are in Southern Oregon at Rogue Disposal and Recycling. This episode was a fun one to record on site at Rogue’s White City transfer station – so don’t be surprised if you hear a collection truck or two traveling by! It might seem unusual to be talking garbage and landfills on an energy podcast, so get ready to…

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 f…

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 …

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 alt…

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 near…

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…

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/Sal…

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 high…

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 …

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 a…

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 i…

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 abo…

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 …

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…

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.orego…

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, sha…

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…

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-efficien…

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.govLearn more about us: www.oregon.gov/energyMu…

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 borde…

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 learne…

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: "…