Wind power in Utah

{{short description|Electricity from wind in one U.S. state}}

File:Utah wind resource map 50m 800.jpg National Renewable Energy Laboratory]]

File:POWER WITHOUT POLLUTION. WIND DRIVEN WATER PUMP - NARA - 544868.jpg in southeastern Utah, 1972]]

Wind power in Utah is in the early stages of development. As of 2016 the state had 391 MW of wind generation capacity, responsible for 2.6% of in-state electricity generation.{{cite web|title=Utah Wind Energy|url=http://awea.files.cms-plus.com/FileDownloads/pdfs/Utah.pdf|website=US Wind Energy State Facts|publisher=American Wind Energy Association|access-date=27 December 2017}} Wind thus plays a small role in the state's renewable portfolio standard goals.{{cite web|title=Renewable Energy in Utah|publisher=Acore|date=October 2013|url=http://www.acore.org/files/pdfs/states/Utah.pdf|access-date=15 June 2015}}{{cite web|title=State Renewable Portfolio Standards and Goals|publisher=National Association of State Legislatures|date=19 February 2015|url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/energy/renewable-portfolio-standards.aspx|access-date=2 June 2015}}

A 2009 Utah Renewable Energy Zone Taskforce estimated that the state could produce over 9,000 megawatts of wind power. As about 80% of Utah's population is concentrated along the foot of the Wasatch Front mountain range, reliable and predictable canyon winds offer opportunities for wind power generation and efficient wind energy distribution without long-distance transmission.[http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/Sustainability_2012-16pr.pdf Wind Power in Utah May 2013]{{cite web|url=http://en.openei.org/wiki/Utah/Wind_Resources/Full_Version|title=Utah/Wind Resources/Full Version|work=openei.org|access-date=15 June 2015}}{{cite web|url=http://apps2.eere.energy.gov/wind/windexchange/wind_resource_maps.asp?stateab=ut|title=WINDExchange: Utah Wind Resource Map and Potential Wind Capacity|work=energy.gov|access-date=15 June 2015}}

Utah Power, now PacifiCorp, launched the Blue Sky Program in 2000 to encourage users to purchase imported wind power, with the option of purchasing 100-kilowatt hour (kWh) "blocks" of renewable energy for a monthly fee through their electricity bills.[https://www.rockymountainpower.net/bluesky Blue Sky (Rocky Mountain Power)] In 2003, radio station KZMU in southeast Utah began operating solely on wind power.{{cite web|url=http://www.kzmu.org/windpower.cfm|title=KZMU - 100% Wind Powered|access-date=18 February 2008}} Kinkos also participates.[http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/kinkos-signs-up-for-utah-powers-blue-sky-wind-energy-77855692.html Kinkos Uses Blue Sky (PR News)]

PacifiCorp, the major provider in Utah, imports much of its renewable energy into the state and does not intend to build instate facilities before at least 2024.[http://www.pacificorp.com/content/dam/pacificorp/doc/Efficiency_Environment/PC_WindEnergyHandout.pdf PacifiCorp Wind Energy][http://www.sltrib.com/56160773 SL Tribune]