Texas Sets Wind Energy Record

America’s energy future came into focus on Sunday afternoon when wind farms provided more than 22 percent of Texas’s electrical power needs. Strong breezes in the Panhandle and West Texas helped wind-power generation hit a record 6,242 megawatts on the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) grid.

Roy Blackshear, manager of the AEP Desert Sky Wind Farm in Pecos County described the event as “huge.”

“It proves we’re going to be able to use renewables effectively,” said Blackshear.

Texas ranks No. 1 among states in wind power, according to the American Wind Energy Association’s annual report released in late January. The state has a total wind capacity of 9,410 megawatts, of which 8,916 megawatts is in ERCOT. ERCOT’s wind capacity accounts for more than 10 percent of the grid’s total available generating capacity of 76,363 megawatts.

Read more HERE.