Renewable Energy

On these pages we have information about Idaho's abundant renewable energy resources.  Idaho has almost all known renewable energy resources available for our needs.  They are derived directly or indirectly from the sun - such as solar, wind and biomass - or from other natural processes such as geothermal heat.

Solar is the sun's radiant energy.  It has many applications, such as generating electricity, space heating and water heating.  Idaho has a lot of opportunities for solar applications, depending on location.

Wind is caused by the sun's uneven heating of the earth's surface and the planet's rotation and has been used to pump water for years.  Idaho is now seeing a lot of development of wind power to spin turbines to generate electrical power.

Geothermal is probably the first renewable energy source harnessed for use in Idaho.  Created by the natural heat emanating from the earth, Idaho's geothermal hot springs were a favorite gathering place for Native Americans who believed the waters had special healing powers.  While there are some places in the state where geothermal water is hot enough to generate electricity, the most common applications are direct uses such as crop drying, fish farming, agriculture and space heating.

Bioenergy is derived from organic matter from agricultural, forest residues, and lawn clippings, etc.  It also includes methane gas collected from municipal solid waste landfills and wastewater treatment plants.

Click on any of these links to go directly to the particular resource.