July 14th 2010

There’s More to Texas Than Oil: Wind Power in the Lone Star State

For most of the last century, Texas has been oil nation. After the 1901 discovery of oil at Spindletop, the Texas economy shifted away from its agricultural roots to a petroleum-driven market. Though this natural resource brought unprecedented wealth and growth to the area, it hasn’t provided the same benefits to nature. As the world begins to look for more sustainable energy sources, even Texas, were oil has been the state’s livelihood, is putting more focus on renewable resources. In fact, Texas is actually leading the way in some areas. In 2009, the American Wind Energy Association ranked Texas the number one producer of wind power in the country. Texas is home to the largest wind farm in the world: Roscoe Wind Farm, which has the capacity to generate 781 MW using 627 wind turbines. Advances in wind power technology allow production of electricity at a cost that is comparable with coal and gas powered electricity. Unlike these other energy sources, wind power requires no water and generates not carbon dioxide, which is a major contributor to global warming. According to the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, Texas has the potential capacity for 524,800MW, which is almost 500 of the electricity consumption in the state. Wind farms can only be effective in areas with a reasonable amount of wind. Technology is allowing for use of wind turbines in areas with less wind, but high, frequent wind is still the most ideal area for a wind farm. Northern Texas is the area with the most wind, but wind farms can be found throughout the state. Sherbino Wind Farm is located in Pecos County in west Texas and Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is in Taylor County, in the middle-eastern part of the state. Wind farms can be found all over Texas, and are making great strides in creating a more sustainable energy economy.

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