Texas wind generation keeps growing, state remains at No. 1

Texas continues to dominate the nation’s wind energy production, adding far more generating capacity than any other state last year and having more installed wind power capacity than all but five countries in the world, the U.S. Energy Department reported Thursday.

While best known for its oil and gas industry, the state has vaulted to the top of wind power by not only exploiting the strong winds of West Texas, but also by building the transmission to move the electricity from remote regions to the state’s population areas, analysts said. The state’s wind energy production, meanwhile, is only expected to increase and provide a growing share of the state’s electricity as advancing technology allows turbines to generate at lower wind speeds and improved weather forecasting makes it easier to integrate it into the grid.

As wind technology has advanced, the cost of electricity generated by wind turbines has fallen by about one-third since 2010, according to the Energy Department. In Texas, the growth in wind energy has come as coal-fired power plants have shut down, unable to compete with lower-cost wind farms and natural gas plants. Wind surpassed coal in generating capacity last year, according to ERCOT.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Texas-wind-generation-keeps-growing-state-13178629.php


Unbeknownst to most folks, the US has 3 power grids. East, West and Texas.

It's pretty clear which one operates the best.

Gotta do sumpin' with that hot air.

It's all them there bigmouthed 'libertarian' Texans...

What with all that empty hot air they're generating on a daily basis..

Their favourite boast used to be "my hat is bigger than yours !", now it's "my wind turbine is bigger than yours..".

Well, I for one feel really good about coming from a place that, while politically dominated by conservatives, is at least open-minded enough to be able to make such a huge step forward in clean, renewable energy.

I have seen, mostly online, a trend of anti-Texasism among the left that doesn't serve the Democratic Party whatsoever. Texas is the only big state that Republicans "own" in terms of federal elections, and Democrats have nothing but upside, if they could get a bit more help from out of state (as Republicans most definitely do).

If the Republicans were to lose Texas, they would lose, I'd say, 70 percent of their power. We could then see the sort of commitments to reducing greenhouse gases that only a Democrat-run government would ever make.

Which I'm sure sounds great, unless you believe that nearly all climate scientists on the planet have conspired to lie, for some unknown reason, to the public about global warming.

According to climate-denialling trolls the likes of smelly', Deano and their ilk,  this 'conspiracy' of scientists, engineers, farmers, foresters and fishers,  has all been to make "$$billions$$" for activists such as Al Gore, Tim Flannery and Greta Thunberg...

Maybe Gore is building a secret tropical resort retirement village in Fiji for them all to move to when the climate-deniers finally mess everything up totally  ???

Ben Reilly wrote:Well, I for one feel really good about coming from a place that, while politically dominated by conservatives, is at least open-minded enough to be able to make such a huge step forward in clean, renewable energy.

I have seen, mostly online, a trend of anti-Texasism among the left that doesn't serve the Democratic Party whatsoever. Texas is the only big state that Republicans "own" in terms of federal elections, and Democrats have nothing but upside, if they could get a bit more help from out of state (as Republicans most definitely do).

If the Republicans were to lose Texas, they would lose, I'd say, 70 percent of their power. We could then see the sort of commitments to reducing greenhouse gases that only a Democrat-run government would ever make.

Which I'm sure sounds great, unless you believe that nearly all climate scientists on the planet have conspired to lie, for some unknown reason, to the public about global warming.

So Texas is number one in wind production, yet you think it could be better with different leadership.

Dude, you would have traded Aikman after he won his first super bowl.

I mean what sort of cognitive dissonance does one need to think that the area people are flocking too should be governed like the areas they are leaving?

Maddog wrote:

Ben Reilly wrote:Well, I for one feel really good about coming from a place that, while politically dominated by conservatives, is at least open-minded enough to be able to make such a huge step forward in clean, renewable energy.

I have seen, mostly online, a trend of anti-Texasism among the left that doesn't serve the Democratic Party whatsoever. Texas is the only big state that Republicans "own" in terms of federal elections, and Democrats have nothing but upside, if they could get a bit more help from out of state (as Republicans most definitely do).

If the Republicans were to lose Texas, they would lose, I'd say, 70 percent of their power. We could then see the sort of commitments to reducing greenhouse gases that only a Democrat-run government would ever make.

Which I'm sure sounds great, unless you believe that nearly all climate scientists on the planet have conspired to lie, for some unknown reason, to the public about global warming.

So Texas is number one in wind production, yet you think it could be better with different leadership.  

Dude, you would have traded Aikman after he won his first super bowl.  

That depends on the options. Jerry Jones never succeeded by sitting on his hands. Clearly, if Joe Montana or Payton Manning had been available, Jones would have dumped Aikman in a heartthrob. Aikman was a journeyman quarterback, who was surrounded by brilliant receivers, a good line, and Emmitt Smith.

Just as Aikman had shortcomings, despite winning, so the Texas legislature has problems, despite winning. Always room for improvement.

Ben Reilly wrote:I have seen, mostly online, a trend of anti-Texasism among the left that doesn't serve the Democratic Party whatsoever. Texas is the only big state that Republicans "own" in terms of federal elections, and Democrats have nothing but upside, if they could get a bit more help from out of state (as Republicans most definitely do).

It is a pity.  Texas is a beautiful state.  Although with an independent origin (ie, detached from Mexico in a separate independence), it nonetheless aligned itself with the anti-black sympathies of No. & So. Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, the source and leaders of the southern hatred.

I feel like there was a point in time where Texas didn’t have to go there.  But the dedicated deep southerners soon moved in and infected the whole Texas ideology.

It may have been proximity, but then how do you explain the purity of thought of New Mexico…so close by.  By now, so many bad things have happened in Texas that it bears the stigma of the deep south (above), even if it has different roots.

But people make the population, and soon enough Latinos will live there to change the politics.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:

So Texas is number one in wind production, yet you think it could be better with different leadership.  

Dude, you would have traded Aikman after he won his first super bowl.  

That depends on the options.  Jerry Jones never succeeded by sitting on his hands.  Clearly, if Joe Montana or Payton Manning had been available, Jones would have dumped Aikman in a heartthrob.  Aikman was a journeyman quarterback, who was surrounded by brilliant receivers, a good line, and Emmitt Smith.

Just as Aikman had shortcomings, despite winning, so the Texas legislature has problems, despite winning.  Always room for improvement.

No he wouldn't have. There is an old saying about not fixing things when they ain't broke.


Texas is the NE Patriots of the past 15 years and yet there are people that want to embrace the Cleveland Browns style of leadership and play.

It makes zero sense.

Of course Texas has room for improvement. But that won't come from adopting the ideas of states from which people are fleeing.

If California, NY and Illinois can teach us anything, its what to do to drive your residents away.

Maddog wrote:

Original Quill wrote:

That depends on the options.  Jerry Jones never succeeded by sitting on his hands.  Clearly, if Joe Montana or Payton Manning had been available, Jones would have dumped Aikman in a heartthrob.  Aikman was a journeyman quarterback, who was surrounded by brilliant receivers, a good line, and Emmitt Smith.

Just as Aikman had shortcomings, despite winning, so the Texas legislature has problems, despite winning.  Always room for improvement.

No he wouldn't have.  There is an old saying about not fixing things when they ain't broke.  

That's for old fuddy-duddies. Jerry Jones doesn't sit on his hands.

Maddog wrote:Texas is the NE Patriots of the past 15 years and yet there are people that want to embrace the Cleveland Browns style of leadership and play.  

It makes zero sense.  

Of course Texas has room for improvement. But that won't come from adopting the ideas of states from which people are fleeing.  

If California, NY and Illinois can teach us anything, its what to do to drive your residents away.  

Nobody is saying anything about what the Texas legislators should do. It's you who is saying that because Texans did one thing right (wind power), they will do everything right. As I recall, Mussolini and the Fascisti made the trains in Italy run on time. Your theory would have Mussolini still running things, just because he did the one thing right.

Jerry Jones wouldn't think that way. He was born in Los Angeles, CA.

Original Quill wrote:

Maddog wrote:


No he wouldn't have.  There is an old saying about not fixing things when they ain't broke.  

That's for old fuddy-duddies.  Jerry Jones doesn't sit on his hands.

Maddog wrote:Texas is the NE Patriots of the past 15 years and yet there are people that want to embrace the Cleveland Browns style of leadership and play.  

It makes zero sense.  

Of course Texas has room for improvement. But that won't come from adopting the ideas of states from which people are fleeing.  

If California, NY and Illinois can teach us anything, its what to do to drive your residents away.  

Nobody is saying anything about what the Texas legislators should do.  It's you who is saying that because Texans did one thing right (wind power), they will do everything right.  As I recall, Mussolini and the Fascisti made the trains in Italy run on time.   Your theory would have Mussolini still running things, just because he did the one thing right.

Jerry Jones wouldn't think that way.  He was born in Los Angeles, CA.

I didn't say they do everything right. They do more things right than the competition which is why people keep coming here.

Jerry may have been born in LA, but his family got out as soon as they could.