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Wyoming Wind Could Save California Money, Study Says

A new study says energy generated from Wyoming wind could help California residents save up to one billion dollars annually in electricity costs. California’s renewable portfolio standard – or RPS – requires the state to get 33-percent of its energy from renewables by 2020. The Wyoming Infrastructure Authority commissioned the economic analysis. The agency’s Executive Director, Loyd Drain, says not all renewables are made equal and wind power from Wyoming is a good option for California.  

“There’s no doubt that there’s ample renewable energy to be developed to satisfy California’s 33-percent RPS. But there is a question as to the cost and to the impact on rate payers. So, if you look at cost you have a hard time not considering Wyoming wind,” Drain says.  

The cost of technologies like solar, future tax incentives for renewables, and the cost of building transmission lines could affect just how much California’s potential saving would add up to. The proposed TransWest Express Transmission Project would be able to deliver Wyoming wind energy to California before its 2020 deadline. 

Irina Zhorov is a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. In between, she worked as a photographer and writer for Philadelphia-area and national publications. Her professional interests revolve around environmental and energy reporting and she's reported on mining issues from Wyoming, Mexico, and Bolivia. She's been supported by the Dick and Lynn Cheney Grant for International Study, the Eleanor K. Kambouris Grant, and the Social Justice Research Center Research Grant for her work on Bolivian mining and Uzbek alpinism. Her work has appeared on Voice of America, National Native News, and in Indian Country Today, among other publications.
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