Wind power in Texas facts for kids
Wind power in Texas is a big deal! Texas has many wind farms that create a lot of electricity. In fact, Texas makes more wind power than any other U.S. state. It has a total of 9,410 megawatts (MW) of power from over 40 different projects. Iowa is next, but it only has 3,670 MW.
There are many reasons why wind power is so successful in Texas. The state has very strong winds in many areas, which is perfect for wind turbines. It's also fairly easy to find good places to build large wind farms. Plus, the price of electricity in Texas is often high, which makes selling wind power profitable. The wind power industry also creates many jobs, and farmers can earn extra money by letting wind companies build turbines on their land.
Some of the biggest wind farms in Texas include the Roscoe Wind Farm, which is one of the largest in the world at 781 MW. Other large ones are the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, Sherbino Wind Farm, Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm, and Sweetwater Wind Farm.
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Why Texas is a Wind Power Giant
Texas has been interested in wind power for a long time. Back in 1970, West Texas State University started researching wind energy. This led to the creation of the Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) in 1977, which has been a major source of information about wind energy for the state.
Texas is clearly the top state for wind power in the USA, far ahead of Iowa and California. The growing wind power market is helping Texas reach its goal of adding 5,000 new megawatts of power from renewable sources by 2015.
Texas has huge areas with strong winds, especially in the Panhandle, along the Gulf Coast, and in the mountains of West Texas. These areas have some of the best wind power potential in the United States. Today, there are over 2,000 wind turbines just in West Texas! Many new wind farms have been built near the cities of Abilene and Sweetwater. The Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center is one of the biggest wind power places in the country, covering about 47,000 acres.
How Wind Power Helps Texas
Wind is a natural resource that changes, meaning the wind doesn't always blow at the same speed. However, with good planning, wind power can easily be added to the electricity supply. Many places in Texas have winds strong enough to make electricity right now. As wind turbine technology gets better and building costs go down, even more places will become good spots for wind farms.
Benefits for Farmers and Jobs
Texas farmers can rent their land to wind companies. They might get a set payment for each turbine or a small part of the money the project makes each year. This gives farmers a new way to earn money without stopping their regular farming or raising animals. In 2004, a report showed that farmers could generally get between $3,000 and $5,000 per turbine each year. These amounts are going up as bigger wind turbines are being built.
The wind power industry also creates thousands of jobs for people in Texas. As oil production might slow down in the future, wind technology and making electricity from wind can help keep jobs in the state.
Safety and Reliability
Large power plants that provide most of Texas's electricity are usually in one central place. If something bad happened to one of these plants, like an accident, it could take a long time to fix. This could cause big power shortages that Texans have never seen before. Also, things like coal trains and gas pipelines can be easily stopped.
However, wind power plants are different. They can be built and fixed quickly. Wind farms are made up of many separate turbines. This means if one turbine gets damaged, the whole power plant can still make a lot of electricity. It's like having many small power stations spread out, which makes the electricity supply more reliable.
Images for kids
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The 781 MW Roscoe Wind Farm at sunrise.
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Part of the Desert Sky Wind Farm off I-10.
