Our Energy Sources

You can feel good about where your Idaho Power energy comes from. Clean, affordable hydropower is our largest resource, and we are continuing to pursue our goal of providing 100% clean energy by 2045. We are also moving away from coal and reducing our carbon emissions.

The chart below shows Idaho Power’s energy sources in 2022, including generation from company-owned plants (63.6%) and purchased power (36.4%).

 

donut chart showing 2022 Idaho Power energy mix: 31.1% hydro, 10% wind, 3.8% solar, 2.3% geothermal/biomass/other, 19.9% coal, 12.6% natural gas, and 20.3% market purchases

 

This energy mix shows the energy we generate from company-owned resources and energy we buy through long-term contracts with wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and small-scale hydro generators. The overall mix does not represent the energy delivered to customers for two reasons. First, we participate in the wholesale energy market and sell energy both to other utilities and to retail customers. Second, some of our purchased power from renewable sources comes with a Renewable Energy Credit, or REC.

What is a REC? A REC represents the environmental benefits of 1 megawatt-hour of renewable electricity generation. When this renewable energy is purchased, the RECs can be kept or sold. The REC purchaser gets to claim the environmental benefits of that renewable energy.

Idaho Power sells RECs to keep customer prices low. We sell RECs for the benefit of our customers and as required by our public utilities commission. Money received from REC sales goes directly into offsetting customer prices.

We operate 17 hydroelectric projects on the Snake River and its tributaries. Together, these projects make up our largest generation source.

Idaho Power buys energy from numerous solar producers with a combined capacity of over 300 megawatts, and more is planned.