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3 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Jackson County commissioners approve 75-foot pot grow buffers ... Updated: Power restored after Medford area outage ... Jackson County commissioners oppose expanded gun background checks ... Jackson County commissioners approve 75-foot pot grow buffers ... Updated: Power restored after Medford area outage ... Jackson County commissioners oppose expanded gun background checks ... SINCE YOU ASKED Since You Asked: Where do we get electricity? Coal or hydro? MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 16, 2016 @ 12:01 am Posted Feb. 16, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Social News p bs:newslist StartDate="20121121" EndDate="p bs:datecalc Months="3"" DateSort="1" UseObjects="1" ObjectClass="81" Taxonomywords="2325,665" ExactTaxonomyMatch="1" Image="1" Count="4" --> Could you settle a dispute I had with a neighbor recently? He said Oregon gets most of its electricity from coal, but I said hydro. He said everybody likes to talk about alternative energy, but we’re still stuck on coal as our primary means of generating electricity. I hope I’m right on this one. — Steve S., Medford You’ve definitely come to the right place to end this neighborly dispute, Steve. Unfortunately, we can’t always give the answers that please everyone, but we think we can make both you and your neighbor happy. The Oregon Department of Energy has a pretty nifty website that tells you exactly what percentage of electricity comes from what source: http://www.oregon.gov/energy/pages/oregons_electric_power_mix.aspx . For Oregon as a whole, hydroelectric power provides 45 percent of our needs, and coal is 33 percent, followed by natural gas at 12 percent. Sources such as nuclear, wind and solar make up the remainder. So, you’re the winner, Steve. Now it’s your neighbor’s turn. Pacific Power, which provides 28 percent of the state’s electricity and is the provider for the Medford area, gets a whopping 67 percent from coal and 13 percent from natural gas and 9 percent from hydroelectric. Wind provides 8 percent of the power. By the way, Portland General Electric, which provides 39 percent of the state’s electric needs, derives its electricity from hydroelectric at 37 percent, followed by coal at 30 percent and natural gas at 21 percent. The remainder comes from other sources such as wind, solar, biomass, etc. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected] . To see a collection of columns, go to mailtribune.com/youasked . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them. MailTribune.com Writer Posted Feb. 16, 2016 @ 12:01 am » Comment or view comments Terms of Service /* $( document ).ready(function() { // Jquery mobile is trying to style the button and leaving a blank gry button on top of a white button $("#viafouracoms .vf-comment-controls li.vf-right").html(' Submit '); });*/ » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Mobile Site Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2016 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. MailTribune.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501