New wind farms are being installed along the Texas Gulf Coast. After a short period of controversy, they were accepted as a benefit to the area. In the next few years they will become a major source of energy for many people in Texas. The turbines at 397-feet tall take up quite a bit of space. The biggest benefits go to the landowners who receive compensation year after year for turbines sited on their property. About 100 turbines are expected to be spinning in San Patricio County by October of this year. The Papalote Creek Wind Farm in San Patricio County is a $200 million facility. It will generate 179.85 megawatts of power, which will be enough to power almost 54,000 homes.
In the last couple of years, U.S. wind power capacity grew by 43 percent, while Texas’ rose by 57 percent. Texas holds the record for the largest wind farm. In 1999 California had 1646 megawatts (MW) of installed wind capacity. Texas had 180 MW. In 2006 Texas surpassed California to lead the nation in wind-generating capacity. It now leads the nation in installed wind capacity, at 5,500 MW. The growth has been driven by a variety of factors including government subsidies and tax incentives.
A single megawatt of energy can produce as much energy used by about 230 typical Texas homes in a year. Due to the hot summer days, Texas homes tend to use more electricity than the average U.S. home.
In 2007 all the utility scale wind projects were in West Texas. In 2008 plans got underway to build wind farms along the Texas Gulf Coast. There are many uses for wind energy, one of them being the ability to generate electricity without using water. That is by far its most important and promising aspect. In West Texas where the wind is abundant and water is in short supply, desalination systems powered by wind can be used to develop water sources for consumption. Although wind power represents only a small portion of Texas’ overall electricity production, the state’s wind capacity is growing rapidly.
The other benefit of these wind farms is that school districts can enter into PILOT programs and receive direct revenue for their district. That revenue pays for needed programs.
Terry Simpson