Washougal High School students present to utility experts

Washougal High School science students took on the roles of urban planners and grid engineers earlier this month, presenting proposals for the region’s energy future. The students’ plans aimed to balance long-term reliability, environmental concerns and conservation, and were evaluated by a panel of experts from Clark Public Utilities.

The project challenged students to design energy systems capable of meeting growing community demand while aligning with Washington’s Clean Energy Transformation Act, which targets a fully clean electricity supply by midcentury.

Using an energy grid modeling tool, students analyzed impacts on carbon emissions, utility costs and system performance, while weighing trade-offs between generation, storage and conservation.

“Students shared good ideas,” said Bailey Burk, a water system operator and Washougal High graduate. “It was fun to watch them think and work through problems.”

Guest judges pressed students on the technical and environmental realities behind their ideas. Burk asked detailed questions about battery storage capacity and performance. Technical services supervisor Charles Bennett emphasized the need for a diverse energy mix and highlighted the utility’s efforts to protect local ecosystems.

Several student groups proposed expanding renewable energy. One team recommended increasing solar and hydropower while phasing out coal and biomass, describing hydropower as a large-scale natural “battery” to stabilize supply. Another group focused on winterizing facilities, expanding hydro capacity and introducing tiered pricing for high-energy users, such as data centers, to fund infrastructure improvements.

Reliability compliance officer Zeecha Van Hoose underscored the human impact of energy decisions, reminding students that dependable electricity is critical for those relying on life-sustaining equipment. She also encouraged students to consider the full life cycle costs of energy systems, from production to decommissioning.

The exercise concluded with a broader discussion of long-term energy planning, challenging students to look beyond immediate outputs and consider the environmental and economic impacts of future energy systems.