After The Turkey & Shopping, Texas Sets New Wind Power Record
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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The state of Texas set a new record for wind power generation over the weekend. According to officials with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), the electric grid operator for most of the state, on Sunday afternoon wind farms were providing about 15,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity to Texans.
One MW is enough to provide electricity to about 200 homes during peak demand and 500 homes during milder conditions.
ERCOT spokesperson Robbie Searcy believes the production is a sign that the push for renewable energy in Texas is having an impact. "There has been a considerable growth in that area and we continue to see anticipated growth in wind generation development. It is now starting to be more in commercial solar development as well," she said.
When thinking of wind energy individual windmills may come to mind, but Searcy said much of today's electricity is generated at wind farms in west Texas. "As this resource has grown we seen it develop in other areas of the state as well, including along the Gulf Coast region and up in the panhandle region as well in some other parts of North and South Texas."
The wind energy produced on Sunday accounted for about 45 percent of the total demand for electric power at the time.
Searcy said the efforts in Texas to boost renewable energy are having results. "We are seeing considerable growth in wind and we'll it grow probably above 20,000 megawatts in the next few years."
In everything it's always good to have options and Searcy said having electricity from several different types of power plants is good for the electric grid and will help insure Texas has a reliable supply of electricity to meet its needs.
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