Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I missed these news reports out of Texas until I tripped over them today while looking for something else. To tell the truth, I thought wind energy was kind of dead since T Boone Pickens dropped his projects a couple of years ago, when natural gas prices dropped. But here's a new wave of interest and investment. A BIG wave!
Quote:
Dallas company plans 1,100 MW wind farm
Tri Global Energy LLC announced plans to build a 1,100 megawatt wind farm with up to 650 turbines north of Lubbock.
Touted as the world’s largest community-sponsored wind farm, it covers more than 122,000 acres owned by 340 different landowners in southern Hale County and Floyd County.
Dallas-based Tri Global Energy will build the Hale Community Energy wind farm in five phases with the first 200 MW coming online in 2015. The entire project could be ready by mid-2018.
When completed, it will add about 500 MW to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which serves the majority of Texas, and 600 MW to the Southwest Power Pool Electric Energy Network, which serves states all the way to the East Coast, said Curtis King, senior vice president of investor relations for Tri Global Energy.
Texas wind power growing fast
Texas will add more wind power over the next decade with another 6,000 megawatts planned by 2016.
Texas plans to add 6,000 megawatts of wind power to the electric grid in the next several years, a 58 percent increase over what blows in today.
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas had about 10,570 MW of wind power available as of Aug. 31, according to ERCOT and that number could jump to 11,255 by year’s end.
Wind power project coming to Crosby County
Tri Global Energy announces construction of $37 million wind-energy project near Ralls.
Crosby County will be home to a $37 million wind farm within the next 18 months, if progress moves as scheduled.
Construction is set to begin this month. City leaders in neighboring towns are enthusiastic about the boost it could bring to their local economies.
“It will be beneficial because it will create jobs in the area, and it will increase property values, which will benefit the school and county,” said Ralls Mayor Jim McDuff.
The first phase of the Crosby County Wind Farm consists of Pleasant Hill, a 2,072-acre tract about 17 miles northeast of Lubbock. The Ralls Corp. will oversee its development.
I wonder if any of the companies starting these wind farms have connections with the oil companies already in west texas? I'm asking that here because I'm not interested enough in researching myself.
These wind farms are dangerous for bats and birds though. It will be interesting to see the stats in 20 years from now. Will the numbers start dropping each year because the birds will teach their offspring to avoid them? Will it come naturally to avoid them?
I wonder if any of the companies starting these wind farms have connections with the oil companies already in west texas? I'm asking that here because I'm not interested enough in researching myself.
These wind farms are dangerous for bats and birds though. It will be interesting to see the stats in 20 years from now. Will the numbers start dropping each year because the birds will teach their offspring to avoid them? Will it come naturally to avoid them?
Many years ago the people siting wind projects learned to check for bat and bird interactions. Wind farms sited today will not kill many birds or bats. The family cat will continue to kill Billions of birds, however.
Many years ago the people siting wind projects learned to check for bat and bird interactions. Wind farms sited today will not kill many birds or bats. The family cat will continue to kill Billions of birds, however.
Pretty much. The amount of misinformation/outright lies that are regularly circulated and then repeated about wind power by individuals who purport to be concerned about the environment is simply amazing. I'm not sure what their motivation is except that they're modern day Luddites with a fundamental antipathy to technology.
Birds and bats would have to be pretty lame if they can't avoid moving turning wind turbine blades as they move fairly slowly. When the wind speed is too high, the turbines shut down.
Texas not being interconnected with the other grids is a limitation, not a benefit.
If you read the articles I posted, and refer to the map, I believe wind power from the Lubbock area... the area this thread is about... is actually in the eastern grid area, and they sell power to East Coast utilities.
Infrastructure is key... One of the things that held Pickens back from his big wind farm plans a half dozen years ago was that he didn't have the power lines available to carry the power to market, and nobody stepped up to the plate to partner with him on that side.
If you read the articles I posted, and refer to the map, I believe wind power from the Lubbock area... the area this thread is about... is actually in the eastern grid area, and they sell power to East Coast utilities.
Infrastructure is key... One of the things that held Pickens back from his big wind farm plans a half dozen years ago was that he didn't have the power lines available to carry the power to market, and nobody stepped up to the plate to partner with him on that side.
I'll ask you again, what are the limitations?
I hate to pop your bubble but Hayes and Floyd counties are within the Texas grid...
You'll see lots of them in West Texas, but it may surprise you that there are also some wind farms in South Texas. That's right. I spotted some turbines north of Corpus Christi and, again, lining up east of Raymondville and stretching down to just north of Harlingen. They're all quite a sight to see.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
