One Answer to Energy Shortfall Is Blowing in West Texas’ Wind
Published Sep 15, 2008
Wind turbines are becoming as common as jackrabbits from the Panhandle to the Permian Basin.
When it comes to satisfying the nation’s ever-growing appetite for energy, the answer may indeed be blowin’ in the wind.
Harnessing wind to provide power isn’t a new idea, but advances in technology have made wind energy a much more viable option, and wide-open West Texas is a perfect spot for wind farms. Indeed, wind power’s time has definitely come, says Greg Wortham, executive director of the West Texas Wind Energy Consortium.
“Four of the largest projects in the United States are here in The High Ground (see Scorecard), and it’s growing across the state,” says Wortham, who is also mayor of Sweetwater.
An ongoing goal of wind proponents is to make sure businesses and the public know they’re not advocating this energy source as a replacement for, but rather as a supplement to, coal, natural gas and nuclear power. Nationally, wind energy currently generates only about 1 percent of the nation’s electricity, but a federal government report released in May 2008 said it is growing rapidly and could produce as much as 20 percent by 2030.
“They can exist together,” Wortham says.
IN TOWN AND COUNTRY
The High Ground is home to more than half of the operating wind turbines in the United States. They can be found atop hills or on the plains, on undeveloped rural land and in cities.
Invenergy Wind, a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy LLC, is set to launch operations in October 2008 at its McAdoo Energy Center in Dickens County. The wind farm will consist of 100 General Electric wind turbines, producing 150 megawatts of electricity. It will be sold to the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) wholesale market. The towers stand 265 feet tall and support 115-foot fan blades.
The project has been a company favorite from the outset, says Heather Otten, director of business development. “This is really one of the best markets for wind, and we can get the power on the grid and sell it very quickly, making the operation very liquid,” Otten says. “Plus, we’ve just had the best time working with everybody out in the area.”
So pleased is the company, in fact, that Otten says were it not for a tapped-out transmission system, the company would be doing more. “We’ve submitted 800 megawatts for approval into the ERCOT process, so if we had the transmission we’d build it,” she says.
Meanwhile, oilman T. Boone Pickens is building what likely will be the world’s largest wind farm in the Panhandle.
A few non-energy businesses also are erecting towers to provide some of their energy needs. One example is cottonseed miller PYCO Industries Inc., which has begun installation of 10 wind turbines on its Lubbock site. The $16 million project is expected to generate 10 megawatts of electricity.
PYCO is the city’s second-largest energy consumer, and the company expects to see a 40 percent reduction in its energy costs once the wind turbines are operational.
GUNG-HO FOR DEVELOPMENT
While it won’t release specifics just yet, ongoing research at the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock could soon add even more power-production capability to the area.
“Reese Technology Center has several research projects under way that aim to improve our existing energy resources – and some that could change the face of the renewable-energy industry,” says Todd Reno, director of business development.
That kind of gung-ho attitude is music to an economic development official’s ears, says Ken Becker, executive director of the Sweetwater Enterprise for Economic Development.
“There is plenty of wind business to go around, and we promote the business of wind,” Becker says. “It’s a quick-moving business that locates in certain regions for a reason. We are currently focusing on the service side of the wind development, as we are in the center of 2,000 megawatts-plus of turbines in a concentrated area.”
A current challenge, Becker says, is integrating this successful new player into the local business scene. “Employees are leaving local jobs for the wind-related business,” he says. “We must find a way to blend the new industry with the existing.”
Story by Joe Morris
Photo by Brian McCord
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