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Pickens’ Wind Farm Garnering Much Attention
May 28, 2008
Wind turbines have been popping up from Abilene to Amarillo with the past few years. Anyone watching the blades being hauled up Interstates 35 and 45, two per semi-trailer, knows something big is in the wind.
The news of these various wind farms has been reported sporadically, but when Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens’ company, Mesa Power LLP, placed an order for 667 wind turbines from General Electric early in May, every new agency in the U.S. and abroad picked up on the news.
This new wind farm being planned near Pampa will be the largest in the world. This first order of 667 turbines is just the first phase, capable of generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity. The estimated $10 billion project will ultimately produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity when completed in 2014.
Wind Power Elsewhere In Texas
Pampa is 60 miles northeast of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle – about halfway between Amarillo and the Oklahoma border. About 250 miles to the south, the area between Abilene and Big Spring has also been in a flurry of wind farm construction over the past several years. Texas Contractor published an article about the construction of one of these wind farms in September 2007.
One challenge will be getting all this power into the grid. A consortium supported by a group of five companies in the energy and chemical industries: Airtricity, Inc.; Babcock & Brown Renewable Holdings Inc.; Celanese, Ltd.; Occidental Energy Ventures Corp.; and Sharyland Utilities, L.P. has filed a proposal with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) to establish the 345-kilovolt (kV) Panhandle Loop.
Their construction of an 800-mile 'looped' transmission system, would open an area served by a different power grid, a CREZ (Competitive Renewable Energy Zone), and bring it into the ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), the system that operates in most of the state.
Posted by Liz Moucka on May 28, 2008 | Comments (1)
In response to: Pickens’ Wind Farm Garnering Much Attention
Edward commented:
This is really a great idea..BUT..not the only answer to the energy question. Wind power usually falls short during hot summer days..we probably should have solar collectors on the same "farms" to keep power in the lines. Then to really make the difference..drill deep enough for geo-thermal steam generation..all of these energy sources should ensure adequate profits for investors.
