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Renewable Sources of Energy in the West

WIND

Wyoming boasts some of the best wind sites in the world. Although wind power compares favorably in cost with energy from natural gas plants, it is an intermit resource — when the wind does not blow, no electricity is generated — and as a result wind is somewhat less valuable than a fossil fuel plant for which output can be adjusted on demand. Environmental problems resulting from bird fatalities must also be addressed. These problems can likely be solved by the careful siting of wind turbines.

SOLAR

The most significant renewable resource in this region is solar. Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico possess the best solar power resource in the country. This resource is also abundant in parts of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. Although the production of electricity from sunlight is relatively benign environmentally, solar power is expensive. However, solar technologies are maturing, and great potential exists for further technological advances and cost decreases.

GEOTHERMAL

Geothermal power plants tap hot water or steam from within the earth to generate electricity. Already a well-developed technology, geothermal electric power production provides a substantial amount of reliable power in California. Our region also possesses significant geothermal resources, especially in Utah and Nevada. The cost of electricity from these plants is roughly comparable to the cost of electricity from coal plants, depending on site-specific factors. Eventually there may be cost-effective technologies to extract heat from even deeper geothermal resources that are virtually inexhaustible.

BIOMASS

Burning crop residues, trees, manure and other forms of biomass to generate electricity is also a well-developed technology. But because the region is arid, it does not possess a large, naturally replenished biomass supply. Another mature renewable resource technology is the combustion of municipal solid waste (MSW) to generate electricity. However, MSW is relatively expensive when compared with fossil fuel technologies, and there are serious concerns about air emissions from MSW generators.

FUEL CELLS burn hydrogen to generate electricity. The process is pollution-free, with water as the main by-product. Today, power from fuel cells is expensive and the technology is in its infancy.

Current Energy Source Mix in the West

Today, virtually all electricity provided in the region is generated from coal, nuclear, natural gas, and large hydroelectric plants.

Coal accounts for more than 70 percent of the region's electricity and almost all of the industry's contribution to visibility degradation, the risk of climate change, and other air quality problems.

One nuclear power plant is in operation in the region — the Palo Verde plant near Phoenix, the largest in the nation. It produces roughly 10 percent of the region's electricity, at a cost nearly double the average cost of electricity from coal-fired units. It has virtually no impact on air quality, but serious radioactive waste disposal issues remain unresolved.

Natural gas currently provides only about five percent of the region's electricity, though its share is poised to increase. New, more efficient technologies — based on jet engine designs — can obtain significantly more electricity from a given amount of natural gas. It is abundant and inexpensive, though substantial price escalation is predicted. It has significantly lower emissions compared with coal combustion, though adverse land and water impacts from drilling and exploration.

Power from large hydroelectric dams contribute about five percent of regional electricity. Hydroelectricity is cheap and helps to sustain rural economies, but new conventional hydroelectric dams cannot be built without serious environmental damage to aquatic and riparian ecosystems. The potential exists for nontraditional hydro technologies, such as pumped storage and smaller facilities, but they are limited by siting and cost considerations.

Source: Land & Water Fund of the Rockies