NREL Conduit Blog

Solar is not a major contributor to the energy economy in Wyoming. The  state generates 88% of its electricity from coal and 11% from wind , with small amounts coming from pumped hydro-electric and natural gas (Figure 1). As the least populous state in the nation, Wyoming uses a fraction of the electricity it generates,  exporting nearly two-thirds across state lines . With abundant land, access to transmission, and a culture of revenue-generating electricity sales, could there be a pathway for solar technologies to contribute to the Wyoming energy economy? NREL  Solar Technical Assistance Team (STAT) Network  experts recently took a short road trip from  Golden, Colorado  to Cheyenne to talk solar with Wyoming state agencies, local planning departments, and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) representatives (Figure2). What might make Wyoming take a look at solar? Continue reading

To date, no one source has collected all of the clean energy-related economic development policies that states have adopted to spur growth. This has made it difficult to answer this important question: what policies foster the most job development and offer the best return on investment? A recent National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) report serves as a foundation to answer this question. Continue reading