Ecofys Shutters Corvallis Operation

By Jaime Fuller

Ecofys_400x400The Netherlands-based sustainable energy company Ecofys just closed the doors of its Corvallis office after more than six years of operation. Corvallis served as its U.S. headquarters, as it was the only U.S. location. That’s a pretty big deal when you consider the other countries where Ecofys works its magic are the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, and Belgium.

The international consultancy offers innovation and knowledge in renewable energy, carbon efficiency, energy systems and markets, and climate policy. In contrast to other Ecofys locations, the Corvallis group dealt mostly with power markets. They were less focused on power generation and more focused on how generation and grid systems fit together.

They asked questions such as: What are the different costs and benefits of energy storage technologies? And how do those fit into designing a more efficient grid? Basically, this group was trying to find ways to make it easier to get renewable energy on the grid. The office developed new methods of fusing older technologies to make the grid more flexible. Major clients of Ecofys in Oregon were Bonneville Power Administration, PGE (Portland General Electric), and Northwest Energy Consultancy Alliance. They also did some work in California.

Ecofys as a whole has about 250 employees. A combination of reasons led to the close of the Corvallis office at the end of September. Partially it was insufficient business and partially the time difference from the Netherlands. In the beginning, Ecofys made the strategic decision to focus its U.S. office on policy work, which did not do well in the Corvallis location. It is rumored that the company hopes to have better luck in Washington, D.C.

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