Texans like to pride themselves on doing things "bigger and better" in the Lone Star state. Unfortunately having bigger cars, houses and other energy hogs are not so good. If you've ever been to Houston, Dallas, El Paso, San Antonio, etc. you'll definitely notice the large ranch homes and the ridiculous percentage of trucks driving on roads named after President Bush. It isn't all bad though, because it seems that the latest fad that is catching on has to do with clean, renewable energy.....the windy stuff.
From The NY Times:
Texas, once the oil capital of North America, is rapidly turning into the capital of wind power. After breakneck growth the last three years, Texas has reached the point that more than 3 percent of its electricity, enough to supply power to one million homes, comes from wind turbines.
Texans are even turning tapped-out oil fields into wind farms, and no less an oilman than Boone Pickens is getting into alternative energy.
“I have the same feelings about wind,” Mr. Pickens said in an interview, “as I had about the best oil field I ever found.” He is planning to build the biggest wind farm in the world, a $10 billion behemoth that could power a small city by itself.
That just goes to show you that the Texan spirit of trying to out do everyone can have a huge bonus for us all. The less Texas uses oil and coal power, the less we collectively use it, both nationally and globally. If only we all had that Texas spirit when it comes to wind, we might be able to change the world in a great way.
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