Why is Washington state so low? I would have expected it to be higher.
Washington State has hydro power like the Grand Coulee dam on the Columbia.
Hydro electric power is the least expensive long term. Meaning, once you build the dam.
Maybe once every few decades you replace the turbines. This is also why aluminum is made in WA. Cheap, reliable electricity.
The first hydro electric power plant was designed and built by Nickoli Tesla(alternating current)and George Westinghouse at Niagara Falls, NY. It continues to make very cheap power because the Great Lakes continue to get plenty of water flowing down hill to the ocean.
This is also why Quebec hydro(St Lawrence River) has more power than they will ever need. So they are building a transmission line from PQ through ME to get to the New England grid. Where they have closed nuclear plants in MA & CT and only want to replace them with solar panels and wind mills.