Montana's energy production

Summary: Montana is a supplier of energy to much of the rest of the United States, producing both coal and oil. The state also utilizes hydroelectric power and has put wind energy systems in place.

Montana produces both oil and coal for domestic and export use. Efforts to reduce its carbon footprint have led Montana to seek out sources of renewable energy. Montana is a major producer of hydroelectric power and is working to develop greater wind energy capacity. Yellowstone National Park has become a model for facilities and communities that seek to convert to clean energy and practice energy conservation.

Encompassing a total area of 147,046 miles, Montana is the fourth-largest state in the United States. Water covers 1,490 square miles of the state. The major rivers are Clark Fork, the Missouri, and the Yellowstone. The major lakes are Flathead and Fort Peck. This ready access to water sources allows Montana to use hydroelectric power at several of the largest electricity-generating plants in the state, with the result that as much as a fourth of all electricity generated in Montana has been derived from hydroelectric sources. However, this production is susceptible to drought. Montana's coal reserves are the largest in the United States, accounting for 30 percent of the nation's total. As of 2022, the state was the sixth-largest coal producer in the United States. The Williston Basin, which is located in eastern Montana and western North Dakota, is home to three of the 100 largest oil fields in the United States. Two of those are located within Montana’s borders.

In 2021, Montana consumed a total of 433.5 trillion British thermal units (Btu) of energy. Considerable attention has been paid to using renewable energy in Montana. Between 2001 and 2007, Montana’s hydroelectricity capabilities increased by 41.6 percent. By 2007 the state ranked sixth in the United States in the percentage of renewable energy generated in relation to total electricity generated (34.5 percent). By 2023, the state was among the top ten in producing energy from renewable sources, with about 50 percent of its electricity generated by hydropower and wind.

Moving Toward Clean Energy

In 2009, the US Congress passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. In order to qualify for energy grant money, states were required to inform Congress how the money was to be spent to improve energy efficiency and enhance efforts toward identifying renewable sources of energy. Governor Brian Schweitzer stated that Montana’s share of funds was to be used to bring the state’s energy, utility, and building codes up to federal standards and continue efforts toward prioritizing energy investments while improving existing energy programs and creating new ones as necessary.

The following summer, the Department of Energy earmarked $120 million in funds for innovative weatherization projects in various states. This funding allowed Montana to weatherize 989 low-income homes by May 2010 and become one of five states recognized by the Department of Energy for reaching a weatherization milestone. This success released additional American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding and allowed Montana to weatherize additional homes.

Energize Montana

Through Energize Montana, the state uses various forms of assistance to teach residents about clean energy and provide financial help and tax credits to promote the practice of energy conservation and encourage the use of renewable energy sources. The Low-Income Energy Assistance Program, the Weatherization Program, and the Energy Ombudsman Program are all designed to help low-income residents.

The Energy Tax Credits Program offers incentives to any home or business that invests in energy conservation. Under the auspices of the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), the State Energy Program educates the public about energy conservation and alternative sources of energy, such as wind, solar, and geothermal energy. DEQ also offers information and technical assistance, through the Biomass Energy Program, on using biomass energy in homes and as a vehicle fuel.

The Alternative Energy Loan Program provides loans to homes, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that install solar, wind, biomass, geothermal, and small-scale hydropower energy systems. State-owned buildings and universities may apply for loans for similar projects through the State Buildings Energy Conservation program.

During the first years of the twenty-first century, Montana made considerable progress in the generation of wind energy. By 2024, Montana had a wind power capacity of 1,800 megawatts, with an additional 400 megawatts scheduled to come online in 2025. Among the largest wind projects were Glacier Wind Farm (with 210 megawatts of capacity) and Judith Gap Wind Farm (with 135 megawatts of capacity). Several others were in various stages of development, including by out-of state companies. While many projects were driven by demand from other states, some focused on domestic issues; for example, Grasslands Renewable Energy launched the Wind Spirit Project, designed to harness, store, and transport clean energy to residents of Montana.

The production of biomass energy is also a priority in Montana. An 18-megawatt plant entered operation in St Regis and is able to transmit clean energy via NorthWestern Energy.

As of 2023, Montana had not fully developed solar energy, but the state had ample solar resources available, with the eastern part of the state receiving an annual average of five hours of full sunshine daily and western Montana receiving an average of 4.2 hours of full sunshine daily. Many schools and state-owned buildings have installed solar-generating equipment. In 2023, only 1 percent of the state's electricity was generated by solar power.

Green Energy at Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park serves as a model for innovation in converting from fossil fuels to clean energy sources. In 2019, the park consumed more than 34.6 million kilowatt-hours of energy. The YES! Initiative was subsequently launched by the park’s foundation to begin working toward reducing consumption 15 percent by 2016 as a result of employing solar and microhydropower generating systems; switching to high-efficiency appliances, equipment, lighting fixtures, and sensors; and educating employees and visitors about energy efficiency. The use of microhydropower is not new at Yellowstone. A Pelton waterwheel was installed at Mammoth Hot Springs in 1911. Although that waterwheel is no longer in operation, it proved that Yellowstone has considerable potential for generating hydropower.

In 2009, Yellowstone received $1.65 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds to install a new hydropower system with the capacity to save 900,000 kilowatt-hours of renewable energy at a cost savings of $80,000. Energy-efficient fixtures and technologies were being employed at all 1,500 buildings at Yellowstone, and the park was phasing in solar electricity and hot-water technologies with the intention of saving 450,000 kilowatt-hours of energy and cutting costs by $170,000. Gas furnaces were being replaced with electric systems to save 32,000 kilowatts of energy. Progress is monitored by electric meters.

Bibliography

"Energy." Montana Department of Environmental Quality, 2024, deq.mt.gov/Energy. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.

Barnes, Roland V., ed. Energy Crisis in America? Huntington, NY: Nova Science, 2001.

Bird, Lori, et al. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report. Golden, CO: National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 2008.

"Montana." US Energy Information Administration, 16 May 2024, www.eia.gov/state/?sid=MT. Accessed 6 Aug. 2024.