Technology
Billings invests $4.7 million transforming into electric, zero-carbon tech hub.
A $3 million grant for electric buses, a $1.7 million smart-city investment, and a massive data center campus under construction north of town are reshaping Montana's emerging tech capital.
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How we reported this
Billings is pouring millions of dollars into green technology, and the numbers tell the story.
MET Transit received over $3 million in grants to buy four new electric buses, replacing diesel units that have rumbled through the city for years, according to Source 1. The purchase is part of 112 completed energy-efficiency projects across the city.
Why it matters: Billings is positioning itself as Montana's tech capital, and the money is following that ambition. The city's tech sector is growing seven times faster than the state economy, according to the city's new Green Tech Partnership, which aims to cut carbon emissions by 30% by 2030. The partnership is backed by $1.7 million in smart-city technology investments, according to Source 3.
Buses, compost and LEED Gold
The electric-bus grant isn't the only infrastructure play. In August 2024, the city opened a new biosolids composting facility with a 25,000-ton annual capacity at the landfill, Source 2 reports. The facility is expected to extend the landfill's life by at least a decade and reduce landfilling costs.
Billings already earned LEED Gold certification for Cities in October 2022, becoming the first city in Montana and the 21st globally to achieve that green-building standard, according to Source 3. The city has implemented 168 energy-efficiency projects that save roughly $815,448 annually in electric costs.
The big bet: Big Sky Campus
The most ambitious project is emerging north of town. Quantica Infrastructure is developing the 5,000-acre Big Sky Campus, a zero-carbon data center hub with on-site solar, wind, and battery storage, according to Source 4. Operations are slated to start in 2028.
The project alone signals that Billings is not just talking about green technology-it's building for it. A methane capture plan at the city's landfills has already generated nearly $5 million in royalties by recycling gas to fuel trash trucks, Source 9 notes.
Solar adoption is also accelerating. Since 2023, residential and commercial installations have increased by 40%, according to Source 9.
What happens next: The Green Tech Partnership sets a 2030 deadline for the 30% emissions cut. Whether the tech sector can maintain its blistering growth rate-seven times faster than the state economy-will depend on continued investment. The Big Sky Campus won't come online until 2028, but the electric buses are already ordered. For now, the money is still flowing.