Bogus Basin Going 100% Renewable In 2020 With Help From Idaho Power

Bogus Basin is proud to announce it will use 100% renewable energy in 2020.

The nonprofit recreation area will buy renewable energy from Idaho Power, which recently
announced its goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2045. “Sustainability is a key value for Bogus Basin and our guests,” General Manager Brad Wilson said.

“More and more of our customers are making efforts to reduce their own carbon footprints at home and at work, and they want us to do the same.”

Bogus Basin will cover its estimated 3,592 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy use (equivalent to powering about 325 average homes in Idaho Power’s service area) next year by purchasing renewable energy from efficiency upgrades Idaho Power has made to three of its Idaho-based hydroelectric plants. The environmental benefit of this much renewable energy is equivalent to avoiding 2,738 tons of CO2 — comparable to removing 531 vehicles from the road for a year, according to 2018 figures from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator and Emissions and Generation Resource Integrated Database.

“Bogus Basin has been a valued partner since skiers first started making the trek up Bogus Basin Road almost 80 years ago,” Idaho Power Regional Manager Brent Lulloff said. “We couldn’t be more excited about Bogus Basin’s leaders taking on an initiative that aligns with our own clean-energy goal.”

Buying 100% renewable energy is just one of the ways Bogus Basin is working to improve the environment. Other initiatives include an agreement with the City of Boise for a permanent park-and-ride lot at Fort Boise; a new public shuttle service from downtown; carpool benefits on holidays and weekends for vehicles carrying three or more people; and recycling 30 tons of scrap metal.

Bogus Basin hosts more than 400,000 guests per year in the winter and summer. It is at least the second Idaho ski area — and Idaho Power customer — to make a clean-energy pledge.

Last October, Tamarack Resort announced it will use 100% clean energy, relying on clean hydropower that makes up almost half of Idaho Power’s energy mix and the purchase of renewable energy certificates to cover the remainder of the resort’s energy use.

“We appreciate the leadership our friends at Idaho Power and Tamarack have shown,” Wilson said. “The more Idaho businesses and residents commit to clean and renewable energy, the more likely we are to achieve a sustainable future.”