Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
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Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#2Makes sense Texas is one flat windy state.
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#3Makes sense Texas is one flat windy state.
Importantly, according to this map [1], it’s one of the better places for high average wind speed over a year at 30m and 100m height.
From the Dakotas/Montana down through Texas is the sweet spot for turbines.
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#4Well, that element of Real Steel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Steel is on track to be reality. (Set in the year 2020, the movie features lots and lots of windmills in Texas.) :-)
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#5Thank god Obama set us on the right track. The current administration is doing everything to hamper this great progress in terms of converting to renewable energies.
Lets get some real leadership back in the White House in 2020!
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#6If you're interested in this, you should probably check out some of the reporting over the political battles this very year over wind subsidies and the intraparty disputes among republicans in the state lege.
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#7Makes sense Texas is one flat windy state.
Yes, investor T. Boone Pickens nicknamed America the "Saudi Arabia of wind" due to the windy plains.
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#8Primary Source: http://www.ercot.com/content/wcm/lists/172485/DemandandEnerg... (Excel file)
You can find the data they're referencing in the "Energy by Fuel Type" tab.
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#9Makes sense Texas is one flat windy state.
Yes, it is, and the winfarms are an absolute gorgeous addition to our horizon.
It can get a bit grim driving around Texas. It can take up to three days to get out of the state depending on which direction you're going... and to get from the oceans to any mountains in any direction takes about as long as well (start heading towards New Mexico best bet IMO). There are some "hills" over by Austin and Enchanted Rock I guess.
Point is, these windmills are a great way to break the monotony of a long Texas roadtrip. I did one with my little cousins once and their favorite part was seeing the windmills.
Re: Wind is outpacing coal as a power source in Texas for the first time
#10How difficult is it to build transmission lines in the US? In Germany we have enormous problems building a transmission line from the offshore windparks in the north to the industrial centers in the south. NIMBYs are opposing it fiercly.