Wyoming is a part of the Northwest region of the United States. It is surrounded by Montana, South Dakota, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, and Nebraska.

Image 1 Source: www.nationalgeographic.com

Wyoming’s capital is Cheyenne, and its’ other major cities include the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA), Casper, Laramie, and Rock Springs. The state’s population is only 479,602 people, with a population density of 4.6 people per square mile (www.census.gov). There are 97,670 square miles in Wyoming, 55, 912 square miles owned by the public, of which 3, 739 square miles are under the National Park Service, and 41,758 square miles are owned privately. Wyoming is a relatively diverse region, with a low elevation of 3,100 feet at the Belle Fourche River, and a high elevation of 13,804 feet at Gannett Peak. Most of the state is a part of the Great Plains, except for the Black Hills region extending from South Dakota, and the portion of the Rockies in the northeastern region of the state. The normal mean temperature is 45.6 degrees Fahrenheit, the annual average precipitation is 14.5 inches, and the average wind speed is 12.9 mph (www.search.eb.com). Wyoming’s economy is dependent upon the extraction of minerals, particularly coal, natural gas, oil, uranium, sodium carbonate, portland cement, and crushed stone; agriculture, particularly cattle and sheep ranching, wheat, beans, barley, oats and sugar beets; and tourism & recreation. The state’s median household income is $35, 250, ranking it as 38^th in the United States.

Wyoming’s energy consumption has been primarily satisfied from fossil fuels, with small amounts of hydropower. In 1960, Wyoming consumed 15.8 trillion BTUs of coal, 52.8 trillion BTUs of natural gas, 76.4 trillion BTUs of petroleum, 0.0 trillion BTUs of nuclear electricity, and 6.6 trillion BTUs of hydro-electricity (www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html. See Graph 1 below.

Graph 1 Source: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html

Wyoming’s energy consumption in 1960 was further broken down by sector as shown in Graph 2 below.

Graph 2 Source: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html

Wyoming, like the United States as a whole, has relied on fossil fuels, particularly coal, followed by petroleum and natural gas, as their main sources of energy for centuries. Even today, as renewable energies are beginning to be understood as the next energy provider, Wyoming still derives practically all of its energy from coal.

Wyoming still derives its’ energy from the same sources as in 1960, but the amount consumed has increased dramatically. In 1997, the state consumed 466.5 trillion BTUs of coal, 107.9 trillion BTUs of natural gas, 149.0 trillion BTUs of petroleum, 0.0

trillion BTUs of nuclear electricity, and 14.2 trillion BTUs of hydro-electricity (www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html). See Graph 3 below.

Graph 3 Source: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html

This can be further broken down by sector, as shown in Graph 4 below.

Graph 4 Source: www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html

The state’s five largest utility plants are all coal-fired, and four of the plants are owned by PacifiCorp. These five investor owned utilities account for almost 73% of the retail sales in 1996 (www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/wyoming/wy.html).

Table 1 Source: www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/wyoming/wy.html

Wyoming is the largest producer of coal in the United States, therefore almost all of the electricity generated in the state is produced at coal-fired power plants. According to the DOE, ~97% of Wyoming’s electricity is derived from coal, with the remaining ~3% coming from hydro-electric power.

Graph 5 Source: www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy

This percentage of coal use equals to 26,096 short tons of coal annually, in Wyoming alone (www.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html). The environmental effects of such a

substantial use of this fossil fuel are devastating. The mining of coal causes extensive land degradation because of extraction methods, from strip-mining to underground mining, and much water pollution because of acid mine drainage. The combustion of coal causes acid rain, air pollution, and contributes to global warming through the release of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The cost of energy in Wyoming is relatively low. Graph 5 below illustrates energy prices in Wyoming from 1995.

Graph 6 Source: www.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html

As shown in the above graphs, much of Wyoming’s energy comes from non-renewable fossil fuels. However, there is a small percentage of renewable energy used in the state.

As previously mentioned, Wyoming does not derive much of its energy from renewable sources. There are small-scale uses of geothermal and biomass energies, and some use of hydro-power in the electricity sector. There are beginning to be projects involving renewable energy uses in Wyoming. The Wyoming Wind energy project is an example of renewable energy use. The project is located in the Foote Creek Rim area between Laramie and Rawlins in southeastern Wyoming.

Image 2 Source: www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions

It is a flat, treeless plateau, with winds averaging 25 mph. The land around the project is primarily owned by ranchers or the Federal Bureau of Land Management, and 99% of it can still be used for grazing. This project is the largest wind farm in the Northwest, with 69 turbines and an output of 41 MW of electricity, enough for about 12,500 average Northwest homes. About 79% of the Wyoming wind project is owned by PacifiCorp, and the rest is owned by the Eugene Water and Electric Board. About 40% of the power is sold to the Bonneville Power Administration. This project generates power for about 3.8-4.5 cents per kilowatt-hour. The environmental effects of such a large scale wind farm are beneficial, although it does have its problems as well as any energy source. The wind farm produces no air emissions, but if coal or natural gas were used about 75,000-190,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year, as well as air pollutants and acid rain precursors, would have been emitted into the atmosphere (www.rnp.org/thmls/wyoming.html). In order to reduce the environmental effects of the wind farm, independent consultants conducted a year-long study, and improvements were made to improve the project. For example, the blades are coated with ultraviolet-reflecting paint, the project was moved away from the edge of the rim where there is a high concentration of birds, and several other steps were taken that lessened the environmental impact of the wind project.

An example of solar use in Wyoming is the photovoltaic water pumping systems that were installed in seven rural areas in the state. The study was conducted by five rural electric cooperatives in Wyoming, with the help of Sandia National Labs and the University of Wyoming. The study found that photovoltaic-powered pumping systems were cost-effective alternatives to extending the existing power lines to the rural areas. The use of these systems reduces the demand of non-renewable energy sources, and decreases the levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, air pollution, and acid rain (www.colby.edu/personal/thtieten/sol-wy.html).

There are two different systems for harnessing solar energy: the flat-plate collector and the solar concentrator. Flat-plate collectors are flat panels that collect sunlight and convert it directly to electricity or heat. These systems include photovoltaic (PV) arrays and solar water heaters. The map below shows how much solar radiation reaches a flat-plate collector installed in a tilted position.

Image 3 Source: www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_solar.cfm?state=WY

This map shows that Wyoming has good useful resources for flat-plate collectors. These systems are often used for residential and commercial building operations. They can also be used in large arrays for utility applications. If a PV array with a collector area the size of a football field were installed in one of Wyoming’s better locations, 1,098,000 kWh could be produces per year, which is enough power to supply the needs of 110.2 average homes (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_solar.cfm?state=WY).

Solar concentrators are typically mounted on tracking systems to always face the sun. The map below shows how much energy reaches the solar collector.

Image 4 Source: www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_solar.cfm?state=WY

This map shows that Wyoming has a good resource which is useful for a variety of applications. These systems are generally used for large-scale applications such as industrial or utility use, but they can also be used for small-scale applications, including remote power applications. If a system that covers approximately 150 acres were installed in one of the state’s best areas, 46,574,000 kWh per year could be produced, enough power to supply the needs of 4,674 average homes (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_solar.cfm?state=WY).

Wind energy is classified according to wind power classes, based on typical wind speeds. The range is from 1(lowest) to 7(highest). A class of 3 or higher is considered useful for generating wind power with large-scale turbines, and small scale can be at any wind speeds. Class 4 or above are considered good resources. The map below shows wind power classes for Wyoming.

Image 5 Source: www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_wind.cfm?state=WY

This map shows that Wyoming has excellent resources for wind power. If 2.7% of land was covered with wind farms of utility-scale wind turbines, 774,000,000 MWh could be produced per year, or 6,745% of the entire state’s energy consumption (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_wind.cfm?state=WY).

The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory designed the Hydropower Evaluation Software (HES) to determine potential hydropower sites in various states. The software identified 72 sites in Wyoming for their hydropower potential, ranging from 3 kilowatts to 261 megawatts. The sites are located in 6 river basins, with the Yellowstone River basin being the most undeveloped (http://hydropower.inel.gov/state/wy/wy.pdf). Wyoming currently uses a small amount of hydro-electricity, as was seen in the previous pie graph.

There are two types of geothermal resources: hydrothermal fluid resources and earth energy. Hydrothermal fluid resources are good for electricity generation, and earth energy is good for direct use or geothermal heat pumps. The map below shows Wyoming’s geothermal resource potential.

Image 6 Source: www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_geothermal.cfm?state=WY

The versatility and inexhaustibility of these resources make it an excellent source for commercial, residential, industrial use. Geothermal heart pumps are the most efficient, least polluting, heating, cooling, and water-heating systems available (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_geothermal.cfm?state=WY).

Wyoming does not extensively use biomass as a source of energy. However, the state does have many biomass resources. See chart.

Wood products and residue

Animal waste

Crop products and residue

Municipal solid waste

Biomass use could be used in parts of this state to supply energy on a small-scale basis.

In order for renewable energy technologies to be economically competitive with fossil fuel energy, there must be incentives offered by the government that would make the transition affordable. Fossil fuels are heavily subsidized by the government, and unless renewable energies receive the same treatment, then their introduction into society will be much slower than it has to be. There are many policy options for renewable energies: contractor licensing, disclosure and certification of green power, equipment certification, government purchase programs, green pricing programs, line extension policies, net metering, the renewable portfolio standard, solar and wind access, and systems benefit charge (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/policy_options.cfm). There are also financial incentives: grants, industrial recruitments, low interest loans, and tax incentives (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/policy_options.cfm). Wyoming offers solar/wind access rights through the Solar Rights Act. This act declares the access to sunlight (and wind) as a property right and protects the access to solar (and wind) energy (www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/policy_options.cfm). The Weatherization Assistance Program is a program that enables low income families to save money and energy by supplying cheaper, out of state energy and encouraging reduction in energy consumption. Wyoming does not offer any financial incentives toward renewable energy use, and barely offers any policy options either.

In order to raise awareness and approval of renewable energies, it is important to have research groups making information available. Wyoming has a few research programs on renewable energy. The American Wind Energy Association has several wind energy projects in Wyoming, including involvement in the Foote Creek Rim project. The Wyoming Energy Council has begun to raise awareness of energy conservation and alternative energy sources through the weatherization project and other small-scale public projects. The state really does not have an extensive research investment on renewable energy options.

Wyoming’s mining sector is responsible for the economic growth in the state. In 1995 the oil and gas sector accounted for $128,241,945 in property taxes. Wyoming has 13 gas fields ranked in the top 100 U.S. fields, and 5 oil fields ranked in the top 100 U.S. fields (http://lmi.state.wy.us/0498/0498a2.html). The coal mining sector produced 315

million tons of coal in 1998, making it the largest producer in the U.S., and employed 4,335 workers as well as 576 contractor workers in the same year (http://www.wma-minelife.com). Since the economy is so reliant on producing fossil fuel energy, it is expected that renewable energy promotion in this state will not be taken lightly. The PacifiCorp energy company owns the majority of Wyoming’s utility plants, and they are all coal powered. The company does have a connection with the Foote Creek Rim Project, and claims to support the research of green energy (http://www.PacifiCorp.com). Although Wyoming has many renewable energy options, the impact of fossil fuel energy on the lives of so many of the people that live there is an anchor that will not be lifted easily.

The time has come in the progression of modern humans to begin to change our view of the environment. We are at a critical point as our population grows and our energy consumption continues to increase dramatically. The notion that the environment, and the resources held within it, is an infinite provider has been proven wrong. The Earth is indeed finite, and our impact on its’ stability are seen on a more severe basis year by year. The impact of our energy sources is one of the most devastating problems we have created. To begin to reverse the damage, we must start implementing sustainable energy options into widespread use. This will prove to be a difficult feat, considering the control that fossil fuel industries have over our government and our economy, but the research is being done, and awareness is being raised. It is possible for renewable energy technologies to provide our energy needs, and these technologies will help us continue to develop in a more responsible, sustainable manner.

www.nationalgeographic.com

www.census.gov

www.search.eb.com

www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/sep/wy/frame.html

www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/st_profiles/wyoming/wy.html www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy

www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions

www.rnp.org/thmls/wyoming.html

www.colby.edu/personal/thtieten/solarwy.html

www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_solar.cfm?state=WY

www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_wind.cfm?state=WY

http://hydropower.inel.gov/state/wy/wy.pdf

www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/tech_geothermal.cfm?state=WY

www.eren.doe.gov/state_energy/policy_options.cfm

http://lmi.state.wy.us/0498/0498a2.html

http://www.wma-minelife.com

http://www.PacifiCorp.com