Mar 09
Texas Is Tops for Wind Power!
The last blog post was weeks ago and now that mom’s back on her feet from hip replacement, I’ll be writing more frequently. I read this today and had to post it. I’m glad that the state where big oil has dominated for decades now is dominating with wind power. I’ve never seen a wind generation field in person and it would be cool to see it. If you’ve been to a wind farm and seen it in west Texas drop me a line and let me know where you went. In the mean time check out this excerpt from the Neal Spelce Austin Letter.
When it comes to energy generation Texas, long the US oil field leader, is now the top wind farm state. As a result, oil derricks and water-pumping wind mills are now losing their dominance on the state’s horizon to giant, propeller-driven wind energy turbines.
Out west, Texans long-ago grew accustomed to a pumping sound, as oil was pulled out of the ground, and a clacking of windmills as water was pumped out of the ground. Now a new whirring sound has joined the cacophony and all these sounds mean money. The sights of structures piercing the sky and constant sounds from these machines are re-making Texas.
While still not as pervasive as oil rigs and wind mills, these wind turbines are growing in number and their size alone is amazing. Some of these wind machines are twice as tall as the Statue of Liberty and their blades have a span as wide as the wingspan of a jumbo jet. They are huge, and larger versions are on drawing boards. By and large, landowners - especially in hardscrabble West Texas — are welcoming them with open arms.
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Even with Texas leading the nation in wind farms, it’s still early in the development of wind energy. The City of Austin is contracting for electricity generated by wind. But it is still a small fraction of electrical usage. However, Texas is ideal for wind-power development (no, not because we’re a bunch of blowhards!) due to the availability of land for wind farms. The Gulf of Mexico may also be the site of wind power, much like the oil derricks sited offshore. So, look for more of these 20-story structures with blades longer than a football field to pop up.
