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 and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
In a twist, Texas wind power can actually help gas generators
A surge of wind power in Texas has made predicting electricity supply more difficult, boosting opportunities for natural gas generators that have been battered by the rise of renewables. Fluctuating renewable supplies can leave grid operators short of power and create price spikes, a phenomenon that’s set to worsen as additional wind and solar hit Texas’ grid, William Nelson, an analyst at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, said in a report. That could force grid operators to search for last minute . . .
New wind farms cause friction in the sky over military flight routes
The hulking C-17 is the pack mule of the United States military, designed to lift and transport troops, tanks and even helicopters. Every American C-17 pilot is trained at the Altus Air Force Base in southwestern Oklahoma, where flight instructor Adam Bergoo says a key lesson is how to fly close to the ground. “That’s one of our military missions, is to fly low-level, because that basically reduces the risk of detection, and getting shot at by the bad guys,” . . .
Colorado City man electrocuted on top of Scurry County wind turbine
SCURRY COUNTY, Texas – A Colorado City man was electrocuted Thursday at a wind farm in Scurry County. It happened at an Invenergy wind farm in Camp Springs, which is east of Snyder, the company confirmed to KTXS on Monday. The Snyder Daily News reports that the victim was identified as 29-year-old Cody Lee Hubbard. Hubbard was working at the top of a wind turbine when he was fatally shocked. It took crews from Scurry County EMS, Snyder Fire Department, . . .
Activists say Austin plan for 65 percent renewable energy isn’t enough
A presentation from the utility showed that under current renewable goals, energy rates are expected to increase up to 11 percent because renewable energy tends to cost more, Austin Energy spokesman Robert Cullick said. Pushing that renewable goal to 75 percent could increase electricity bills by 13.5 percent. The utility didn’t have an estimate for what having 100 percent renewable energy would do to residents’ electricity bills.
Wind turbine blade passes through West Texas, trailer breaks in half
Passing through Brownfield Friday before noon a trailer carrying a wind turbine blade was stuck in the middle of the road after the trailer broke in half. The extended trailer carrying the blade broke apart at the Buckley intersection of the Lubbock Highway, in Brownfield, according to Brownfield News. At the moment crews are still trying to determine how to mend the broken trailer and get the load back on its route to Big Lake. KCBD NewsChannel 11 will update . . .
Commissioners pass Mathis, Tynan wind farm rezoning order
San Patricio County is one step closer to the start date of a proposed wind farm that will include the western part of the county – specifically Mathis and a small area in Tynan. Avangrid Renewables Development Officer Jason Du Terroil attended commissioners court on Monday to request a reinvestment zone for the project area which would allow the company to apply for tax abatements. The 200- to 285-megawatt wind farm will feature between 80 and 115 wind turbines, with . . .
The name is American Windmill Museum
Call it what it is: The American Windmill Museum. Legally, properly, and actually, it’s American Windmill Museum now, but telephone callers speaking on a first-name informal basis, have for years often asked if they had reached the windmill museum, anyway. Now, Tanya Meadows, director of marketing, can say, “Yes,” instead of, “No, it’s the American Wind Power Center,” which was the former name. Coy Harris, executive director, remembers that the windmill collection that now totals more than 200, started small . . .
Houston startup plans to store wind energy underground
Texans have long stored oil, natural gas and other forms of energy in underground salt caverns, so it’s only natural that a Houston startup wants to store wind energy there, too. The method is in the company’s name, Apex-CAES, where CAES stands for compressed air energy storage. The company plans to use electricity at night, when it’s cheap, to compress air into an underground cavern. The company then releases the air through turbines to generate electricity when the price is . . .
Searing heat is hurting Texas wind power
Temperatures are soaring across Texas, and that’s bad news for the state’s wind power generators. Wind farms – which now account for about a fifth of the state’s power mix – are forecast to generate significantly less electricity this week as the heat builds and keeps turbines from spinning. Wind generation may peak at about 5,900 megawatts on Thursday and 6,900 megawatts Friday, less than two-thirds of what they totaled a week earlier, according to grid manager Electric Reliability Council of Texas, . . .
GE 1.7-103 turbine collapses at Shannon wind farm in Texas
A GE 1.7-103 turbine collapsed recently at Alterra Power’s 205MW Shannon wind farm in northern Texas, according to local press reports. The wind farm is less than two years old. No one was injured and the only damage was to the turbine itself and the ground beneath it. Press photos of the wrecked turbine show only the bottom portion of the tower remaining in place, with the rest of the machine lying crumpled at the tower’s base. The entire 119-turbine . . .
