Texas To Build Wind Power Superhighway
We’ve all heard of the Information Superhighway; Now it’s time to welcome the Wind Power Superhighway.
In what is purported to be the largest investment in clean, renewable energy in US history, Texas has been given preliminary approval for a $4.9 billion plan to build transmission lines to carry wind power from West Texas to urban areas such as Dallas.
Texas is already the national leader in wind power, but the new transmission lines will make sure wind energy is used to its fullest potential, since most of Texas’ wind power is produced in windy West Texas. The new plan won’t directly create new turbines, but it will add enough transmission lines to move 18,000 megawatts. That’s enough energy to power 4 million homes.
The superhighway won’t just help facilitate the spread of wind power; supporters think it will also create jobs, lower energy costs, and reduce pollution.
Texas citizens will have to assist with the plan’s construction; they will pay an extra $3 to $4 per month on their bills for the next few years. But this pales in comparison to the amount they can save with lower energy prices.
Renewable energy companies are eager to jump on the bandwagon. Yesterday, Oncor, an electric distribution and transmission business, filed with the Public Utility Commission in Texas to indicate its desire to build a large portion of the superhighway.
With a proposal that could provide Texas with more wind energy than the next 14 states combined, perhaps the state’s legacy will be one of wind, not oil.
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I think this is a great start but would rather that each of us make our own power at home or at least in the same block. Better to keep it local anything then make such a pink elephant as these electrical lines that would be so easily taken out with a balloon. You want energy security not just energy. Make your lines for now but make encentives so we all have power 24/7 even if you get industry started in the process.
These towers are made by a committed and caring manufacturing team…I should know, I’m one of them.
Keep up the good work, Texas, lead by example!!!
Reading the Texans posts on here,and being a winter Texan now ,an having lived in Corpus Christi for the past 7 yrs i can tell you you don’t want an electric bill from that state at least CC here i am paying 70$ a month in mid summer in CC i was paying 350 2 375 $$ a mo. in the summer.An not much less in the winter as i had a heat pump. Texans really get ripped off for the price of energy and i can see why those wind programs will fi t them greatly… BILL
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What happens when the next hurricane rips the wind generators to shreds?
Check out Investors Business Daily on Thursday, August 24th. Speaker of the House Pelosi has a financial stake in Boone T. Pickens wind farm that relies upon government subsidies to make it economically feasible.
The speaker profits directly from her political support for “green” wind power. Look at all sides of the issue before heralding the “solution”.
Photovoltaic? NTY! These cells are only 25% efficient at capturing their energy source, photons. Wind works better, typically, on cloudy days and the windiest areas of the US just so happen to be the exact same areas where we pump all that black goo out of the ground. I recently, 4 months ago, installed a 10 Kw turbine on my .5 acre property in western Washington state and have been able to sell back 16$/ month, on average (during less windy summer months in this area), worth of electricity back to our PUD. The unit and battery storage cost me about 8k total and will completely pay for itself in 5 years and 2 months at my current estimates. The upfront cost hurdle is the thing we need to get over. I realize most homes can’t afford this initial cost, but through government incentives and tax deductions we can minimize this cost. If local government starts to dedicate the same lands they do for high-tension towers to wind turbines we could be green inside 10 years. It’s the pacs and lobbys you have to conquer first!!! We have a 1740 sq ft home with myself, my wife, and our daughter in our home and we use energy saving lighting and energy star rated appliances in our home, if that helps anyone gauge their needs a bit better. I am telling you, wind is the way of the future…period! The turbine is on an SSV tower at 28 meters with 7m blades and is unbelievably quiet. We average 13 mph wind speed in this area. I am using my batteries a lot in the summer months, but I figure this will stop during fall, winter and spring when our winds pick up drastically in this part of the state. We also have adopted an energy efficient living strategy. We don’t do ALL our laundry on the same day, we do one load 4 days/ week. We put our computer on stand-by every time we walk away from it. My daughter has been taught to walk around the house every hour and turns lights off. She is 4 and this is how we taught her how to tell time. She is a wiz at it now and is constantly reminding my wife (who seems to have the hardest time adjusting to the lifestyle) to turn off lights when she leaves the room! We get a kick out of it. My projections are for 23,000 Kw of energy by May of 2009. Which is actually 4,000Kw above the average projections for my area. My neighboors have all expressed interest after I showed them my first paymeny from our PUD. I can’t say enough good things about it! If you have the up-front capitol and even approach the suggested 11mph average wind-speed suggested for best operation you can say good-bye to your power company forever. I installed the tower myself which saved me 2k, and it wasn’t that hard to do due to the helpful nature of green-industry companies’ employees. There are cheaper options, such as the 1Kw turbines that are shockingly small and easy to install that supplement your power if you live in an area with less than desireable average wind-speeds. The residential market has taken leaps and bounds over the last 5 years and I may decide to upgrade my current turbine once this one pays for itself. Now if only I could get a company to make me an electric car so I can charge it off this thing and have a carbon footprint of near zero!!!
“Texas citizens will have to assist with the plan’s construction; they will pay an extra $3 to $4 per month on their bills for the next few years. But this pales in comparison to the amount they can save with lower energy prices.”
this simply is not the case. I am 100% for wind energy - but we are going to pay for it.. That is what the ACCOUNTING is…
When you say stuff like this… and it does not happen… people lose faith in your advocacy.
Going to cost more. That’s ok..
it will cost more per KWH, for sure…
Warning, as good as this energy source may be in terms of pollution, it has already been found to be fatal to some of the most sensitive of our animal population. Before we kill massive numbers of these animals just like we have done to the frog poplulation in the US which has been massively destroyed and radically changed the lakes and wetlands of this country. We must come up with a solution NOW before the effect becomes massive…consider this article: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14593