Wind power a booming business in Texas

The Lone Star State reportedly gets nine percent of its electricity from wind power, with that number expected to go up. “Most of the wind turbines we have now are built along mountain ridges and up around Amarillo,” said Craig Overmiller, a professor at St. Philip’s College.

 

The wind there is caused by afternoon convection, but new wind farms being built closer to the coast are expected to tap into wind 24 hours a day, increasing the supply.

What if it didn’t cost you a dime to power your home, thanks to the power of the wind? Technology is starting to make that a reality.

Two Sundays ago while most Texans slept, energy consumption plummeted and just the right amount of wind drove the cost of electricity down. First to zero, then into the negatives.

All that hot air in Texas could not only save green in our pockets, but green on our planet.

“It is a very environmentally friendly source of energy, and also an abundant source of energy in our state,” said Steven Lewis of Eco Centro.

“The solar panels and the wind turbines don’t take anything off our air or anything we need to live on a daily basis,” Omar Silva, a student at St. Philip’s College said.

Texas has a massive amount of wind power compared to other states. In 2014, wind accounted for more than four percent of the electricity produced in the U.S. All that was produced by close to 10,000 wind turbines.

You can help increase that supply right now through CPS’s “Windtricity” program, where you can pay a few bucks more to ensure part of your monthly bill goes to support the development of renewable power.