Wind power in Montana is a growing industry. Montana had over 695 MW of wind generation capability by 2016, responsible for 7.6% of in-state electricity generation. [1]
Wind power in Montana is a growing industry. Montana had over 695 MW of wind generation capability by 2016, responsible for 7.6% of in-state electricity generation. [1]
At a nameplate capacity of 210 megawatts (MW), [2] [3] the $500 million [4] [5] Glacier Wind Farm, which is located in Toole and Glacier counties, [2] became Montana's largest in October 2009, [4] surpassing the 135 MW Judith Gap Wind Farm in Wheatland County. [4]
Rim Rock Wind Farm, brought online in September 2012, is located about 25 miles due north of the Glacier project. The wind farm has 126 wind turbines of 1.5 megawatts each, to be supplied by Acciona. [6] The project had been delayed due to issues with the Montana-Alberta Tie Line, which connects wind farms in the area to Lethbridge, Alberta. [2] [7] [8] Montana added two significant wind projects in 2012. The Gordon Butte Wind Farm, 9 MW, was completed early in the year and the Rim Rock Wind Project, 189 MW, was completed in September.
| Montana Wind Generation Capacity by Year | Montana Wind Generation by Year |
|---|---|
 |  |
| Megawatts of Wind Capacity [9] [10] [11] [12] | Thousand megawatt-hours of Wind Generation [13] [14] [15] |
Glacier Wind Farm became Montana's largest wind farm with completion of the first 106.5 MW stage in late 2008, then nearly doubled in size to a 210 MW capacity when joined by the second stage in 2009. [16] Numerous smaller farms were constructed during the following decade. Glacier will be surpassed by the 240 MW Pryor Mountain Wind Project upon its completion in late 2020. [17]
| Montana Wind Generation (GWh, Million kWh) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Total | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| 2006 | 434 | 47 | 48 | 32 | 38 | 34 | 29 | 25 | 24 | 34 | 21 | 46 | 56 |
| 2007 | 496 | 72 | 44 | 53 | 36 | 35 | 24 | 19 | 28 | 35 | 47 | 37 | 66 |
| 2008 | 594 | 69 | 67 | 56 | 46 | 45 | 37 | 29 | 36 | 27 | 52 | 62 | 68 |
| 2009 | 819 | 107 | 58 | 81 | 77 | 64 | 40 | 36 | 20 | 49 | 75 | 130 | 82 |
| 2010 | 930 | 81 | 55 | 92 | 104 | 85 | 69 | 62 | 60 | 60 | 81 | 101 | 80 |
| 2011 | 1,263 | 150 | 108 | 84 | 112 | 102 | 84 | 76 | 59 | 73 | 113 | 138 | 164 |
| 2012 | 1,263 | 163 | 87 | 130 | 94 | 98 | 110 | 57 | 58 | 54 | 121 | 127 | 164 |
| 2013 | 1,755 | 206 | 189 | 140 | 164 | 132 | 110 | 88 | 57 | 85 | 127 | 197 | 259 |
| 2014 | 1,973 | 259 | 172 | 174 | 188 | 98 | 126 | 100 | 101 | 108 | 202 | 237 | 208 |
| 2015 | 2,174 | 258 | 167 | 238 | 147 | 101 | 82 | 132 | 117 | 141 | 166 | 209 | 207 |
| 2016 | 2,139 | 197 | 263 | 223 | 162 | 140 | 150 | 125 | 113 | 168 | 150 | 205 | 243 |
| 2017 | 2,155 | 200 | 195 | 206 | 204 | 195 | 147 | 122 | 132 | 137 | 208 | 198 | 211 |
| 2018 | 2,153 | 178 | 169 | 214 | 216 | 161 | 179 | 141 | 148 | 149 | 177 | 211 | 210 |
| 2019 | 2,373 | 221 | 192 | 191 | 212 | 189 | 177 | 171 | 161 | 209 | 219 | 211 | 220 |
| 2020 | 2,992 | 273 | 286 | 234 | 265 | 215 | 233 | 164 | 161 | 220 | 257 | 371 | 313 |
| 2021 | 2,823 | 286 | 212 | 275 | 236 | 197 | 193 | 138 | 186 | 222 | 241 | 350 | 287 |
| 2022 | 4,035 | 472 | 411 | 390 | 345 | 317 | 234 | 185 | 188 | 210 | 289 | 526 | 468 |
| 2023 | 1,399 | 457 | 573 | 369 | |||||||||
Teal background indicates the largest wind generation month for the year.
Green background indicates the largest wind generation month to date.
Source: [18]
Nevada Solar One is a concentrated solar power plant, with a nominal capacity of 64 MW and maximum steam turbine power output up to 72 MW net (75 MW gross), spread over an area of 400 acres (160 ha). The projected CO2 emissions avoided is equivalent to taking approximately 20,000 cars off the road. The project required an investment of $266 million USD, and the project officially went into operation in June 2007. Electricity production is estimated to be 134 GWh (gigawatt hours) per year.
Wind power is a branch of the energy industry that has expanded quickly in the United States over the last several years. From January through December 2022, 434.8 terawatt-hours were generated by wind power, or 10.25% of electricity in the United States. The average wind turbine generates enough electricity in 46 minutes to power the average American home for one month. In 2019, wind power surpassed hydroelectric power as the largest renewable energy source in the U.S.
The Waubra wind farm is located on both sides of the Sunraysia Highway 35 km north-west of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia. Upon its completion in July 2009, it was the largest wind farm in Australia and was the largest wind farm by number of turbines and total capacity in the southern hemisphere.
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At the end of 2015, the installed capacity of wind power in Washington was 3,075 megawatts (MW) with wind power accounting for 7,101 GWh. In 2016, it reached a generation of 8,041 GWh, comprising 7.1% of the electricity generated in the state. In 2023, it had a capacity of 3,407 MW, responsible for 7.75% of generation.
At the end of 2016, the installed capacity for wind power in Minnesota was 3,500 megawatts (MW). Wind power generated nearly 18 percent of Minnesota’s electricity in 2016, ranking sixth in the nation for wind energy as a share of total electricity generation.
Wind power in Illinois provided nearly 10% of the state's generated electrical power in 2020 powering 1,231,900 homes. At the end of 2020, Illinois had 6,300 megawatts (MW) of wind power installed, ranking fifth among states for installed wind turbine capacity. An additional 1,100 MW of wind power was under construction across the state at the end of 2020.
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Rim Rock Wind Farm is located near Cut Bank, Montana. Owned by NaturEner, this $370 million, 189 megawatt (MW) wind farm has been operational since 2012, and is Montana's largest wind-producing facility to be built in a single phase.
The Glacier Wind Farm spans southwest Glacier County and southeast Toole County in northern Montana. With a total generating capacity of 210 megawatts (MW), it became the largest wind farm in the state when the second construction phase came online at the end of 2009. A portion of the electricity is purchased by San Diego Gas and Electric.
| Wind power by state |
|  |
|---|---|---|
| Large wind farms | ||
| Offshore wind farms |
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| Wind power companies | ||
