Wind Power- a New Texas Reality?

August 3, 2008

photo courtesy of warrenski
According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

The state’s Public Utility Commission yesterday put Texas on course to spend $4.8 billion on power lines needed to carry electricity from wind farms in the Panhandle and High Plains to the state’s urban centers.

Getting wind power from turbines to consumers has been problematic because of insufficient transmission lines running from the remote wind farms. The project would allow hundreds and possibly thousands of miles of power lines to be added. However, officials say it would be at least five years before the lines would be ready to handle electricity.

The costs would be covered by customers served by ERCOT, the Texas power-grid operator. Customers would pay an estimated $4 monthly fee for several years.

Texas leads the nation in wind-energy production, and the utility commission’s move, which still faces one more procedural hurdle, would put the state’s output ahead of the combined production of the other 14 states producing wind energy.

I’m still curious about the wind farm projects on the Texas coastline- we all see the massive turbine propelors on big rigs rolling down IH-35 and when we visited Corpus Christi last week, we saw the raw parts taking up city blocks, simply waiting to be installed. I don’t know anything about this project but heard it was held up by the State which wasn’t approving the wind farms due to the environmental impact.

Whether it’s true or not, it seems that with the northwestern and southeasternmost parts of Texas being fueled by wind power, our entire state should have great alternative energy coverage sooner than later. I don’t personally mind an additional few bucks on my bill if it means alleviating fuel consumption, how about you??

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