Tapping into Wyoming’s abundance of sunny days, TNC’s Tensleep Preserve has recently moved to power nearly all of its operations using solar energy!
In 2020, the Ucross High Plains Stewardship Initiative, part of the Yale School of the Environment, explored the potential for onsite renewable energy generation, primarily to run TNC’s tent camp and administrative offices. They found that wind and solar power were good options for the preserve, helping TNC achieve its goal of reducing emissions created by burning fossil fuels. TNC chose to pursue solar power and finished installing solar panels in late 2024.
The preserve’s shift to solar also offered a first for the 88-year-old Big Horn Rural Electric Company: It was able to connect to and begin receiving excess electricity from a solar array into the power grid for the first time in its history. Tensleep can serve as an example for ranchers and other landowners who may want to sell excess solar energy back to power companies, potentially providing rural families and small businesses with savings on their electricity bills.
At Tensleep, the solar setup also recharges an electric truck, which staff have used to reach even the most rugged corners of the preserve. “I’m driving on sunshine,” says Trey Davis, eastern Wyoming stewardship director for TNC. “Using solar resources to power our operations means we’re not only cutting TNC’s carbon footprint, but we’re also demonstrating a stronger, more sustainable future.”
The donor-supported Tensleep project is just one part of The Nature Conservancy’s plan to power its Wyoming operations with renewable energy. TNC also has solar panels at its Wyoming headquarters and is exploring agrivoltaics—renewable energy generation in coexistence with agriculture—at other preserves.
