Wind Power News: Texas
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted.
Power line frenzy hits rural America
To get power from wind turbines to customers in the cities will require thousands of miles of new transmission lines. Wind is the easy part. Building the lines is tougher.
My wife’s family has operated a ranch in West Texas for going on five generations, ever since an adventurous New Yorker sailed to Galveston in the 1870s, bought some sheep and settled, finally, west of the fort in San Angelo. The land isn’t pristine. It’s been grazed and sections have been . . .
Debate continues on Senate wind abatement
Monday’s Commissioner’s Court meeting began as usual with public forum, but a lengthy, animated discussion with members of the gallery regarding action on a proposed county tax abatement for the Senate Wind Project lasted in excess of 90 minutes.
Jorene Guyton, a landowner with property located inside the proposed project, was the first to speak. She made an emotional appeal to court members to protect tourism, retail business, wildlife and real estate within Jack County pleading with them not to sign . . .
Commissioners to discuss Chapman Ranch wind farms
CORPUS CHRISTI — County commissioners plan to tackle concerns about the construction of wind farms out near Chapman Ranch.
A concerned resident went before commissioners Wednesday saying he’s concerned that wind farm companies are signing contracts with private land owners; that type of deal is not regulated by the state and would not require a public hearing.
Commissioner Chuck Cazales agreed that the developments could hinder the future growth of Corpus Christi.
The problem is the landowners are keeping quiet.
“I have talked to . . .
Company wants to build wind farm in Webb county
Webb county commissioners are debating whether or not to approve the construction of a multi-million dollar wind farm in south Texas.
The wind farm would produce electricity for over 30 thousand homes across Laredo all in an energy efficient manner.
It’s a project with a more than 200 million dollar price tag; constructing a wind farm over 20 thousand acres of land just 7 miles north of Oilton.
“Projected cost of the project is a little over 200 million dollars.”
Trey Comiskey, a representative . . .
Neighbors peeved by project
OAKALLA – About 400 landowners from Bell, Burnet, Coryell and Lampasas Counties showed up for a meeting Saturday night hoping to protect their land from an Oncor Electric Delivery Company transmission line project planned in their areas.
Oncor’s project, dubbed the Newton-Killeen 345 kV Transmission Line, would require clear-cutting an approximately 20-mile long, 160-foot-wide trail to accommodate towers that would transport wind energy through Central Texas. The towers would range from 120-150 feet tall, or the size of a 10- to . . .
The downside of Mexico's wind power boom
Behind Canada, Mexico is the largest importer of crude oil to the United States, but a changing breeze is pushing our southern neighbor to produce more wind energy.
Unlike other petroleum-producing countries in Latin America, Mexico’s energy industry has always been state-owned. In the past, this arrangement allowed the country to have more control of the development of its industry. But high foreign debt has kept Mexico from investing in expanding its petroleum infrastructure, supplies — and revenues — are now . . .
City lays out rules for use of wind turbines
The city of Ennis is looking toward the future of energy production with care.
City officials considered an ordinance to adopt regulations over the use of Wind Energy Conversion Systems this month, passing a measure proposed by City Manager Steve Howerton unanimously at Monday’s meeting.
“I think wind energy is going to be a very important part of the electric supply system for the United States,” Howerton said.
Howerton came to city officials with the WECS ordinance as a pre-emptive measure, putting Ennis . . .
Oncor's power line project under fire
Several Maxdale and Ding Dong residents are opposing a proposed power line project for aesthetic and financial reasons.
“I live in the country; nobody out here wants this,” said Sherry Fisher, a landowner with 450 acres of pristine ranch land that may be disturbed by the new towers.
Two weeks ago, Oncor sent newsletters to landowners whose land could be crossed by towers if a route that goes south of Killeen, through Bell County and into Burnet County, is chosen. The towers . . .
Parmer eyes world's windiest wind farm
Huge losses in oil and gas investments have downsized T. Boone Pickens’ plan for the world’s largest wind farm, but U.S. and European groups want to build an even bigger one in Parmer County.
Scandia Wind Southwest, led by Parmer County resident Jim Swafford, Danish company Alpha Wind Energy APS and Havgul Clean Energy AS of Norway, are working to pull a deal together that would involve 454 owners of 204,000 acres in the northwest corner of the county.
The wind . . .
Texas wind farms deploy radar so birds, not feathers, can fly
Wind on the Texas coast is tempting for energy companies. Unlike other parts of Texas — the nation’s No. 1 wind energy state — the coast has breezes that blow consistently on summer days, when energy demand peaks. But there’s risk, too.
Millions of birds funnel through the Texas coast before they head north along the Central Flyway, one of the great bird migration routes between South America and the Arctic. This was the first year that wind farms were operating . . .
