Here's part of the answer to meeting Cascadia's energy needs without building lots of new power plants: real-time metering of electricity so consumers can choose when to flip the switch.
Electricity costs vary by time of day but power companies typically roll charges into a monthly bill because it's more profitable. Imagine how demand would change if companies had to give conumers more choice. The article cites a study that consumers would save nearly $23 billion a year if they shifted just 7 percent of their peak consumption to less-costly times.
Just as cellphone customers delay personal calls until they become free at night and on weekends, and just as millions of people fly at less popular times because air fares are lower, people who know the price of electricity at any given moment can cut back when prices are high and use more when prices are low.
Metering is just one of the hurdles in the way of more renewable energy without building more traditional power plants.