Studies examine developing Wyoming wind for Colorado use

CASPER, Wyo. – Two new studies suggest that Wyoming and Colorado both would benefit economically by coordinating development of wind energy and power lines to carry that electricity.

One study by the University of Wyoming’s Wind Research Center shows that Wyoming’s wind is stronger than the wind in Colorado. Wyoming’s wind also tends to blow more during the day, making it more useful to meet energy needs in Colorado.

Another study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado shows that construction of power lines between Wyoming and Colorado would bring 4,000 jobs and almost $4 billion in economic activity to the two states.

The two studies are part of an effort commissioned by the Wyoming Infrastructure Authority to show that Wyoming’s wind can be valuable to other states.

“Colorado has quality wind resources, as does Wyoming,” J.M. Shafer, an engineer and member of the Infrastructure Authority board, said in a statement last week. “Given the significant amount of Colorado wind already connected to the grid, the time has come to consider blending it with a diverse resource.”

The Infrastructure Authority is a quasi-governmental group that aims to diversify Wyoming’s economy. The authority leaned on a similar study released in January to tout Wyoming wind power as a renewable energy source for California.

The University of Wyoming wind study compared Wyoming’s wind to Colorado’s. Using Wyoming wind would reduce the need for Colorado to rely on other power sources, saving utilities tens of millions of dollars a year, according to the report.

More Wyoming wind power to Colorado would require more power lines. One such project would carry power 180 miles from Wheatland in southeast Wyoming to Brush in northeast Colorado, according to the study.

The NREL study, commissioned by the state agency, examined the economic benefits of such a project to carry 900 megawatts of wind power and 225 megawatts of gas-fired power.

“I am hopeful this work by NREL will give pause to those who would believe that infrastructure built out of state yields zero benefits,” the Infrastructure Authority’s executive director, Lloyd Drain, said in a news release.