State edging closer to tapping wind energy

The wind is always blowing someplace in Montana, Secretary of State Bob Brown said Thursday at Montana State University.

By KAYLEY MENDENHALL, Chronicle Staff Writer

And that wind — especially on state lands — could be harnessed to provide a renewable source of power.

"Montana is on the cusp of a tremendous opportunity here," Brown said. He spoke as part of a Wheeler Center seminar on the generation of alternative energy sources.

One of the biggest hurdles ahead is drafting state policy to give financial incentives for development of alternative energy resources, according to energy experts on the six-person panel.

The state is creating a "wind map" to determine the wind potential on various state lands and identify the 20 best sites for wind energy development.

"We do not have too much to show for our work yet, but we will," he said. Brown is interested in developing state school lands for alternative energy uses.

NorthWestern Energy, too, is working on a wind energy system for Montana, said Mike Hanson, president and CEO of the electric utility.

"Wind can be a very attractive resource in a portfolio of resources," Hanson said. "I believe in a diverse supply of power. You should never put too many eggs in one basket."

Wind-power technology is improving, the economic value is proven and developers better understand installation costs, he said.

Development of wind resources can be an economic engine for rural communities, said Larry Flowers, a wind energy expert from Boulder, Colo.

The Western energy load is growing, Montana’s wind resources are enormous, wind is a clean energy source and it is a product with a constant price, Flowers said.

But the key to developing any alternative energy source is state policy.

"Technology indicates what can happen. Economics indicates what should happen," he said. "But in the end, it’s policy that determines what does happen."

Policy changes could include tax cuts or credits for wind developers similar to those instituted in North Dakota, said Jay Haley, an engineer from Grand Forks, N.D.

Originally, Haley said the utility industry thought wind energy was too expensive an investment. But the farming and ranching community liked the idea.

"We gave the legislators some good reasons why they should support wind energy and that made the difference in the next session," he said.

Panel members also discussed using other alternative energies.

Biogasses from landfills and sewage-treatment plants or wood debris from forests are other possible renewable energy sources, although some of the logistics pose serious obstacles.

But some communities are already working past the problems, Howard Haines, of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said. In Darby, the three public schools are converting to wood-fire heat through a U.S. Forest Service program called "fuel for schools."

The Darby project is a good example of "what the future holds for development of alternative energy resources in Montana," Brown said. "We need to be more energy self-sufficient and more independent."

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