Wind Power

Montana Wind Maps

The wind in the United States could produce more than 4.4 trillion kWh of electricity each year—more than one and one-half times the 2.7 trillion kWh of electricity consumed in the United States in 1990. The Montana maps below show annual average wind resources using the 7 wind power classes, which are ranges used to describe the energy contained in the wind. Note the "Outstanding" classification (red) for wind resources on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in northwest Montana.

http://www.nrel.gov/wind/

The map below is from the Wind Energy Resource Atlas of the United States, published online by the Renewable Resource Data Center (RReDC). The RReDC is supported by the National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV) and managed by the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The RReDC is maintained by the Distributed Energy Resources Center of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

http://rredc.nrel.gov/wind/pubs/atlas/maps.html#3-3

Montana Wind Power Guide

Montana Wind Maps
MT Wind Energy Atlas
Native American Links
U.S. Wind Speeds
U.S. Wind Resources
Wind Power Books
Wind and Weather
Wind Power Links

Examples: 

• Browning
• Luzenac
• Norris
• Pine Ridge
• White Sulphur Springs

Montana Wind Resources
Wind resources can be used with both large wind turbines for utility applications and with small wind turbines for on-site generation. As a renewable resource, wind is classified according to power classes, which are based on typical wind speeds. These classes range from class 1 (the lowest) to class 7 (the highest). In general, wind power class 3 or higher can be useful for generating wind power with large (utility-scale) turbines, and small turbines can be used at any wind speed. Class 4 and above are considered good resources. Parts of Montana have excellent wind resources.