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Wind power in Wyoming

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Wind resource map at 50m above ground

Wyoming has one of the highest wind power potentials of any state in the United States. In 2019, Wyoming had wind powered electricity generating capacity of 1,589 MW, which produced 9.85% of its electric generation, with an additional 3,753 MW under construction. However, the wind generation in that year was Wyoming's third-lowest in the 2010s.[1] By 2020, wind capacity increased to 2738 MW[2] and 8448 gigawatt-hours of electricity were produced from wind in 2021,[3] more than double 2019 production. Additional wind capacity and needed transmission lines are under construction or planned, despite political headwinds from Wyoming's strong coal and oil sectors.[4]

Resource

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Wyoming's geography of high-altitude prairies with broad ridges makes the state an ideal site for the development of wind resources. Other factors that positively affect Wyoming's wind power development potential include transmission capabilities,[5] the high energy needs of nearby population centers,[5] high public support of wind power development in the state (97% support),[6] and the historical importance of energy sectors to the state's economy.[7]

Disadvantages to large-scale wind power production include competition from fossil fuels industry, as coal power provided 42.7 TWh (90%)[8] of Wyoming electricity in 2016, compared to 3.8 TWh for wind.[9] Wyoming taxes wind power[10] with $1/MWh which provided the state with $3.8 million in 2015.[8]

The Big Hollow is a wind eroded deflation basin located to the west of Laramie, Wyoming in the United States. It is the second largest wind eroded depression in the world. The Big Hollow is the largest deflation basin in North America.

History

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See also: List of power stations in Wyoming § Wind
At the end of 2013 Wyoming had the highest per capita wind power capacity.

The first two wind turbines in Wyoming were constructed in Medicine Bow on September 4, 1982, by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the United States Department of Energy. The wind turbines were the largest in the U.S. The two turbines included the WTS-4 at 391 feet tall, and the MOD-2 at 350 feet tall. Mayor of Medicine Bow Gerald Cook held an event with 500 residents at the construction site and declared September 4 "Wind Turbine Day."[11]

Wyoming's first commercial wind farm was the Foote Creek Rim wind project located near Arlington completed on April 4, 1999. This 85 MW (megawatts) wind project had 69 wind turbines, and it is located in one of the windiest locations in the state. Due to average winds of 25 mph in the area, the wind project has a capacity factor of 43% of peak output annually, which is higher than most wind farms. As of 2016, the Foote Creek wind project has 183 turbines with a generating capacity of 134.7 MW.[12]

In 2003, the Wyoming Wind Energy Center began operations. It has 80 turbines with a 144 MW capacity and is located near Evanston in Uinta County.[13]

In 2008, the Glenrock Wind Project outside of Glenrock began operations on top of a reclaimed surface coal mine. PacifiCorp, the owner, "believe[s] this is the first wind facility in the West to recycle land that once provided fossil fuels into one that captures renewable energy." The wind project has 66 turbines that generate up to 99 MW,[14] later up to 158 MW.[4]

Seven Mile Hill and Seven Mile Hill II began operations between Hanna and Medicine Bow. It has 79 turbines with a generating capacity of 118.5 MW.[15] In 2008, Mountain Wind Power, LLC and Mountain Wind Power II, LLC began operations. They have 67 turbines with a 140 MW capacity.[16]

As of 2016, Wyoming had 1,489 megawatts (MW) of wind powered electricity generating capacity, responsible for 9.42% of in-state electricity production.[17] Wyoming produced of 3,800 GWh in 2015,[9] about 9% of the total.[18]

Wyoming Wind Generation by Year Wyoming Wind Generation Capacity by Year
Wind generation since 2001

(gigawatt-hours)[3]

Wind generation capacity since 2001

(Installed megawatts)[2]

In November 2008, the New York Times reported a land rush in Wyoming in anticipation of future wind power development projects. Citizens and land-owners in Wyoming have formed numerous "wind associations" in the hopes of collectively bargaining for higher compensation for the use of their land in wind power production and transmission projects.[19] Most of these associations are located in the wind-power dense counties of southeastern Wyoming, including Platte, Converse, Goshen and Laramie counties.

In 2010, the High Plains and McFadden Ridge Wind Energy Project near Rock River began operations with 66 turbines. It has a capacity of 99 MW. Three Buttes Windpower, LLC, began operations in Converse County near Glenrock and has 66 turbines with a 99 MW capacity. Casper Wind Farm began operations near Casper in Natrona County and has 11 turbines with a generating capacity of 16.5 MW.[16]

Energy Transportation Inc., headquartered in Casper, is a well-known logistics firm that transports overweight and outsized components used in the wind power industry.[20] The Casper landfill is also a disposal site for windmill blades.[21]

In 2010, Dunalap I began operations near Medicine Bow. It has 74 turbines with 111 MW capacity. The Top of the World Windpower Project began operations in Converse County near Glenrock and has 110 Turbines with a 200 MW capacity.[16]

On November 16, 2016, Microsoft Corp bought 237 MW of wind power from Duke Energy's Happy Jack and Silver Sage wind farms in Wyoming along with Allianz Risk Transfer AG's Bloom Wind Project in Kansas to power a data center located in Cheyenne. This was the largest wind purchase in the history of Microsoft.[22] Between 2011 and 2017, no wind farms were built in Wyoming.[4]

The Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project[23] is the largest commercial wind generation facility under development in North America. Power Company of Wyoming has applied to the BLM to build approximately 1,000 wind turbines in an area located south of Rawlins, Wyoming, in Carbon County. The project is proposed to generate 2,000 to 3,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity and construction may take 3–4 years with a project life estimate of 30 years.[24]

Wind energy generation

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Monthly wind energy generation in Wyoming from 2001 to 2024, measured in thousand megawatt-hours.[25]
Wyoming Wind Generation Monthly Average (2001 - 2024)[25]
Net Generation for Wind Monthly (Thousand Megawatthours)[26]
Year Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total
2001 25.784 22.671 21.956 13.247 16.013 22.828 23.136 22.838 23.136 57.769 62.057 53.724 365.009
2002 41.829 38.066 35.100 39.981 34.283 29.934 30.322 34.270 33.710 38.522 45.067 46.247 447.351
2003 44.855 32.632 47.914 23.440 24.315 19.253 11.672 13.782 22.393 34.624 43.916 47.683 366.479
2004 77.118 46.169 62.807 50.060 62.690 36.625 30.695 32.739 44.406 51.313 46.219 75.674 616.515
2005 68.085 48.180 74.094 56.886 53.132 52.212 35.103 36.940 46.362 50.111 98.032 98.129 717.266
2006 104.063 88.413 51.098 65.377 58.789 38.897 31.665 36.661 38.238 78.001 88.015 79.845 759.061
2007 76.569 94.247 70.813 51.770 44.046 42.929 23.382 40.055 52.162 69.628 90.194 99.086 754.981
2008 66.800 81.232 82.108 63.375 36.974 50.500 40.536 50.882 52.599 90.813 133.471 213.252 962.541
2009 194.059 177.284 234.608 128.126 138.771 137.646 103.198 95.559 129.162 252.278 262.666 372.847 2226.204
2010 283.229 217.034 235.208 301.414 260.064 208.498 196.472 186.585 203.626 315.960 428.802 409.901 3247.792
2011 549.885 461.290 494.330 441.525 373.562 289.523 213.625 222.934 203.309 375.097 510.798 475.988 4611.866
2012 632.265 356.512 503.267 346.555 304.274 293.559 174.419 200.810 184.006 399.066 481.052 493.321 4768.106
2013 555.595 441.555 407.225 403.540 308.350 261.835 165.344 170.238 284.531 366.110 460.648 608.312 4433.283
2014 617.675 455.949 509.132 412.031 258.495 270.506 177.399 191.013 217.869 356.796 506.418 432.474 4405.757
2015 442.749 397.522 357.181 263.694 240.391 158.878 205.549 202.021 258.565 284.487 444.702 500.970 4196.208
2016 497.419 558.400 435.234 299.626 261.165 206.552 263.607 218.109 276.358 429.063 381.175 562.630 4889.338
2017 400.354 391.616 412.626 409.090 391.397 295.420 243.760 264.945 275.166 416.124 397.966 422.192 4321.656
2018 357.914 332.286 418.895 422.695 314.457 347.952 277.682 287.966 292.954 309.383 339.610 355.364 4057.158
2019 357.900 354.641 350.889 377.411 347.378 313.021 321.069 290.421 369.181 358.148 362.732 360.028 4263.820
2020 576.068 499.309 378.914 321.803 293.096 358.655 332.671 276.113 283.637 473.860 679.634 1038.876 5512.636
2021 923.099 790.771 613.125 632.710 533.289 441.728 348.789 495.337 484.829 766.906 1101.722 1315.555 8448.860
2022 1215.994 1109.383 995.561 995.661 797.271 587.562 456.705 407.139 472.618 659.651 869.536 1213.061 9779.141
2023 951.534 960.570 851.223 797.401 552.169 475.046 466.690 527.435 526.041 571.845 979.781 976.861 8636.616
2024 842.326 858.602 901.797 853.084 776.319 795.773 453.209 540.972 555.293 665.177 7242.552

Source:[27][28][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wind Energy in Wyoming
  2. ^ a b WINDExchange: U.S. Installed and Potential Wind Power Capacity and Generation
  3. ^ a b "Electricity Data Browser". EIA. U.S. Dept. of Energy, Energy Information Administration. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  4. ^ a b c Outcalt, Chris (April 1, 2020). "Wyoming Confronts Its Wind-Powered Destiny". Wired. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Wind Energy in Wyoming | Wind Energy Research Center | University of Wyoming". www.uwyo.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  6. ^ "UW Poll: Wyomingites Favor Many Energy Solutions | Wind Energy Research Center | University of Wyoming". www.uwyo.edu. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  7. ^ Survey, Wyoming State Geological. "Wyoming State Geological Survey". www.wsgs.wyo.gov. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  8. ^ a b "Wyoming lawmakers want to limit utility usage of in-state wind energy". Utility Dive. 2017-01-17. Retrieved 2017-01-22.
  9. ^ a b 2016 State of the Interconnection page 23. WECC, 2016. Archive
  10. ^ Joyce, Stephanie; Radio, Wyoming Public. "Wyoming Considers Raising Nation's Only Wind Tax". Inside Energy. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  11. ^ Bailey, James. "The Medicine Bow Wind Energy Project." Historic Reclamations Project. (Bureau of Land Management. 2014), 1. PDF
  12. ^ "Wind Energy". www.blm.gov. 2016-07-28. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  13. ^ "Wyoming Wind Energy Center | Renewable Northwest". www.rnp.org. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  14. ^ "Glenrock Wind Project." PacifiCorp. 2011.
  15. ^ "Seven Mile Hill I & II Wind Farm | Open Energy Information". en.openei.org. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  16. ^ a b c "Rocky Mountain Power's Wind Projects." Rocky Mountain Power. 2010. PDF.
  17. ^ "Wyoming Wind Energy" (PDF). U.S. Wind Energy State Facts. American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 27 December 2017.
  18. ^ Popovich, Nadja (2018-12-24). "How Does Your State Make Electricity?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-01-07.
  19. ^ Barringer, F. "A Land Rush in Wyoming Spurred by Wind." New York Times. 27 Nov 2008.
  20. ^ Transporting wind turbine components
  21. ^ Martin, Chris (February 7, 2020). "Wind Turbine Blades Can't Be Recycled, So They're Piling Up in Landfills". Yahoo. Retrieved 2020-02-07.
  22. ^ Eagle, Becky Orr Wyoming Tribune. "Microsoft data center in Cheyenne to be powered by wind energy". Casper Star-Tribune Online. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  23. ^ Power Company of Wyoming: Chokecherry and Sierra Madre Wind Energy Project
  24. ^ Bureau of Land Management (2011-07-22). "Chokecherry/Sierra Madre Wind Energy Comment Period Opens".
  25. ^ a b "Electricity Data Browser - Wyoming Wind Energy Generation". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
  26. ^ "Electricity Data Browser - Wyoming Wind Generation". U.S. Energy Information Administration. Retrieved January 14, 2025.
  27. ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.A." United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  28. ^ EIA (July 27, 2012). "Electric Power Monthly Table 1.17.B." United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2012-08-15.
  29. ^ EIA. "Electricity data browser - 1.17". United States Department of Energy. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
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