Wyoming’s net metering law includes basic interconnection requirements for systems generating up to 25 kW of solar, wind, or hydropower, but the Wyoming Public Service Commission has not established separate interconnection rules, per se.  There is no limit on overall enrollment specified within the law. Systems must comply with the National Electrical Code (NEC), Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety and equipment standards. Customers must install an external disconnect switch at their own expense. Wyoming's Public Service Commission may make additional control and testing requirements.

Wyoming's Public Service Commission staff is discussing the development of standard interconnection rules for larger distributed generation systems. For more information, contact Frank Smith at the Wyoming PSC. (See government contacts, below.)

Wyoming’s net metering law specifies that additional liability insurance is not required.    

PacifiCorp (Pacific Power and Light) has developed a two-page interconnection agreement for net metering customers.

Renewable Energy Sales Tax Exemption
In 2003, under HB 188, the Wyoming legislature added sales of equipment used to generate electricity from renewable resources to the list of types of sales or leases which are exempt from the state excise tax. The exemption is limited to the acquisition of equipment used in a project to make it operational up to the point of interconnection with an existing transmission grid. Equipment eligible for the exemption includes wind turbines, generating equipment, control and monitoring systems, power lines, substation equipment, lighting, fencing, pipes and other equipment for locating power lines and poles. Equipment not eligible for the exemption includes tools and other equipment used in construction of a new facility, contracted services required for construction and routine maintenance activities and equipment utilized or acquired after the project is operational. This exemption will be repealed on June 30, 2008.

We are not aware of any wind incentives offered by individual utility companies in Wyoming.

New wind maps for the Northwest are now available online through a project coordinated by NW Sustainable Energy for Economic Development (NWSEED) and the NW Cooperative Development Center (NWCDC) and sponsored by the            National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), and numerous other organizations. A new high-resolution map of wind energy potential is now available for Wyoming.

The US Department of Energy has also produced wind resource maps for each state. The map for Wyoming can be found here. You may also find the definitions of Wind Power Classes for the maps helpful. Another useful resource is the Web site for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), which contains extensive information about wind resources in the United States.

There is additional information in the Wind Energy Atlas of the United States, where you can review maps for other locations in the US or get more information about how the maps were created. 

An electronic copy of the U.S. Department of Energy's 23-page Consumer’s Guide to Small Wind Electric Systems is available at the Wind Powering America web site.

The Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy (DSIRE) is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and selected federal incentives that promote renewable energy. Another item of interest is the Interstate Renewable Energy Council’s Web site on wind energy projects and wind energy events/news occurring through out the country.

It is a good idea to contact your local utility to request additional information on their interconnection policies. Contact information for all of Wyoming’s electric utility companies (investor-owned utilities, rural cooperatives and municipal utilities) can be downloaded here or from the Department of Energy’s Energy Information Administration.

Wyoming Public Service Commission
Frank Smith
Wyoming Public Service Commission
700 West 1st Street
Cheyenne, WY  82002
Phone: (307) 777-5721
Phone 2: (307) 777-7427
Fax: (307) 777-5700
E-Mail: fsmith1@state.wy.us
Web site: http://psc.state.wy.us/ 

Wyoming Business Council: Mineral, Energy and Transportation Division
Tom Fuller
State Energy Program Manager
Wyoming Business Council: Mineral, Energy and Transportation Division
214 West 15th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002
Phone: 307-777-2804
Fax: 307-777-2838
E-mail: tfulle@state.wy.us
Web site: http://www.wyomingbusiness.org/minerals/index.cfm

Western Resource Advocates
The Western Resource Advocates Energy Project, which began operations in January 1991, promotes sustainable energy technologies—such as energy efficiency, solar and wind power, and the cleanup of dirty power plants—in six states in the Rocky Mountain and Desert Southwest region. We rely on an interdisciplinary team of economists, lawyers, green marketers, engineers, and organizers to develop policies and markets to support expanded clean energy investments. To date, our work in the energy arena has helped catalyze close to half a billion dollars of investments in clean energy technologies and has directly reduced pollutant emissions by tens of thousands of tons. The Energy Project is also home to the Grassroots Campaign for Wind Power, a regional effort to promote the purchasing of wind power in the West.

Converse Area New Development Organization (CANDO)
CANDO is a non-profit economic development agency in Douglas, Wyoming, with a mission of encouraging new and existing business growth, with the least amount of disturbance to the area's quality of life.  Among other things, CANDO hosts a “Roping the Wind” conference each year in Wyoming.

Renewable Northwest Project
Green Power is catching on, according to the Renewable Northwest Project, a broad coalition of public-interest organizations and energy companies created to promote renewable energy development in the region.

Climate Solutions
The Harvesting Clean Energy website, which features Northwest renewable energy technology profiles and news, is maintained by Climate Solutions, a nonprofit organization based in Olympia, Washington. The group’s goal is to build awareness of the benefits of renewable energy technologies for rural landowners and communities, and support implementation through technical and educational resources.

Northwest Sustainable Energy For Economic Development (SEED)
Northwest SEED builds partnerships to mobilize consumers and maximize local benefits from harvesting "home grown" energy resources – wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, low-impact hydro, conservation, and bio-based products – while maintaining reliable electric service and creating new revenue streams and high quality jobs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Modeled on High Plains SEED, Northwest SEED supports and develops creative programs, policies, and financing approaches to build rural economies and meet the region's power needs through affordable, distributed "green" generation.

Last Updated: April 2005

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