Wind energy growing by gusts and bounds

KALISPELL – Last week, the region’s electrical grid came howling into the future, blowing away historic records for transmitting wind-driven energy.

“Wind power is growing rapidly in the Northwest,” said Brian Silverstein, at the Bonneville Power Administration. “It’s the largest source of new power in our system.”

In January, BPA set the high bar for wind power transmission at 1,000 megawatts. It was widely applauded as a substantial achievement toward diversifying the region’s grid.

But that mark was doubled on Aug. 6, when more than 2,000 megawatts of wind-blown energy coursed through the grid.

On that day, wind turbines in eastern Oregon and Washington spun enough electricity to light all of Seattle and Portland.

Missoulian