Times are changing in Wyoming.  Now it is vital that people begin to think about using solar and wind power for energy.  These two sources of power may be the answer to many problems faced by the state when it comes to energy.  Wyoming is a state that is finding ways to use these natural resources.

If Wyoming can invest in some clean energy options, such as solar and wind energy, the state can produce more jobs in Wyoming.  They can also help families and companies put aside more money.  Of course, the best part is that these energy forms will help the United States to be more energy autonomous. This kind of clean energy provides the best answer for the danger of global warming.  Improvements can be made immediately if demonstrated technology is used.  More information can be found at http://www.nwf.org/globalwarming/

In the past, electric power created in Wyoming occurred because of coal.  Many utilities will go on with this reliance on fossil fuels.  Wyoming energy businesses intend to raise the energy production from coal by 18.5 percent.  Existing plans say a mere 0.9 percent of power will be due to renewable supplies like wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass. More about this can be found at http://www.wsgs.uwyo.edu/coal/

The University of Wyoming is sponsoring some researchers who plan to build a research plant that will create some new cleaner coal technology.  While the requirement for electricity climbs, the question of how to manage carbon while still using coal is something we will confront for several years. The research done at this new plant will answer some of those questions and add coal to the mixture of cleaner and safer domestic fuel far into the future. 

Thanks to cleaner coal technology, coal-based generation fleets are seventy-seven percent cleaner than they were thirty years ago.  Setting up new technologies for energy takes some time, but progress is being made.

A better energy future can be achieved by implementing improved investments as utilities change old infrastructure and enlarge capacity.  The first step needed is to have Wyoming create 20 percent of electricity from renewable sources by 2020.  This aim can be achieved with the help of modern technology.  Find more information on Wyoming Renewable Energy HERE.

Wyoming will also be helped by better energy efficiency. Technologies can be found that can decrease requirements by 20 to 30 percent in the next ten years.  Information on this subject can be found HERE.
 
Improvements in energy effectiveness will allow Wyoming to keep demand steady after 2020, even though there will be more people.

Wyoming’s large landscape and brilliant sunlight offer the greatest renewable energy reserves in the United States.  Wyoming received a ranking of 7^th for wind production. It has major solar possibilities, too. Using only 0.5 percent of the entire state, including rooftops, Wyoming could set up solar panels that would create 72 billion kWh of electricity. The typical house uses 10,000 and 11,000 kWh annually, so this would have a significant positive impact.  Additional information can be found HERE.

Besides the wind farms already operating in Wyoming, strategies now exist to erect what might be the world’s largest wind farm in southern Wyoming. 

This new huge project can bring additional clean energy to Las Vegas, Southern California, and Phoenix.  It is now in an early development stage. It will be built on a ranch belonging to Phillip Anschutz, a billionaire from Denver.  He has bought the rights to erect some lines for transmission.  Power will be carried from a place where it is generated more easily to locations with more demand. 

This project is far away from a finished deal.  First, permitting on a local and federal level has to take place.  This will include an impact report on the environment.  Developers feel this process may take as long as twenty-four to thirty-six months.  There is no word on the length of construction after the required permits are attained.  With ongoing attempts, renewable energy can make Wyoming less dependent on fossil fuels and protect the splendor of the area. More information can be seen at http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/2000-megawatt-wind-farm-planned-wyoming.php

By switching to renewable energy supplies and making energy efficiency better over the next ten years, Wyoming may decrease carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation by 40 percent.  More information can be found at http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/UniqueKeyLookup/SHSU5BWK88/$File/wy_impct.pdf 

Wyoming needs to diversify and update the power supplies in order to cut the state’s global warming pollution.

Using renewable energy supplies will decrease Wyoming’s need for fossil fuels.  It can also produce some “green collar” employment.  A better energy future in Wyoming might contain expanded solar power.  Wyoming owns enough solar resources to create 5,000 to 5,500 Whr square meter using photovoltaic systems and 4,500 to 5,500 Whr per square meter using concentrated solar power systems. More information can be obtained HERE.

It is time for changes to be made in Wyoming. Citizens need to look to technology for better answers. They also need to ask their representatives to work to bring more solar and wind power to their cities.  Wyoming will be a better place to live once it starts to explore new ways to create power.  People in Wyoming will lead better lives and they can feel like they are doing so much more to protect their environment.

Wind farms may not look like much from a distance.  Still, the turbines for wind located at the Happy Jack Wind Farm near Cheyenne may stop your breath. They are 285 feet high and have three 140 foot-long blades. Each wind turbine creates seven million kilowatt hours of energy every year.

The joint venture created between Fuel and Power, Duke Energy, Black Hills Corporations, and Cheyenne Light offers fourteen turbines at the newest wind farm.  It will offer 100 million kilowatt-hours of energy annually to the Black Hills community and Cheyenne.  This enough to provide energy  to about 8,500 houses each year.  Black Hills Corporation and Cheyenne Light customers can anticipate wind power supplied to their homes by autumn of 2010.