Wyoming is gradually embracing green power. Wind-energy production has been on the rise in Wyoming over the past decade. In 2018, wind contributed just under ten percent of the state’s electricity, compared with 86 percent produced by coal-fired power plants. Jessica Western with the Ruckelshaus Institute says the state is actively pursuing additional wind and solar capacity, “We have the largest one in the country, the Chokecherry-Sierra Madre project. Wyoming is incredibly active where wind energy is concerned, also increasingly in solar energy.”
Wyoming is considered to have some of the best wind resources in the U-S. Cool mountain air funneled down through passes and canyons produces sustained wind speeds across the plains, which allows wind turbines to consistently operate at high levels. The state also is optimally situated for capturing solar energy, which has been slower to develop. Most of Wyoming’s solar currently comes from the Sweetwater Solar farm, which went online in 2018.
