Texas Saddles Up for $3 Billion in Wind, Solar Energy Project Kickoffs in Fourth Quarter

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Texas continues to diversify its energy holdings, with a range of wind- and solar-fueled power-generation projects across most corners of the Lone Star State--the former helping it solidify its status as the nation's largest producer of wind energy. Industrial Info is tracking more than $3 billion in wind and solar energy projects in Texas that are set to begin construction in the fourth quarter.

Click on the image at right to see a graph detailing wind and solar projects that are set to kick off in Texas from October through December, by county.

Although West Texas regularly makes headlines for the stunning, rapid growth of oil and gas development in the Permian Basin, it accounts for more investment in renewables than any other region in the state. Apex Clean Energy Incorporated (Charlottesville, Virginia) is preparing to begin construction in November on its estimated $900 million windfarm in Coke County, which is designed to generate 524 megawatts (MW) from 185 General Electric (NYSE:GE) turbines. The facility is the largest of its kind in Texas set to be built in a single phase. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The Coke County already has one big-name customer signed up: Facebook Incorporated (NASDAQ:FB) (Menlo Park, California), which earlier this month agreed to buy about 200 MW of its output in a power-purchase agreement. "The ambitious sustainability goals of corporate leaders like Facebook will play a key role in accelerating the transition to renewable energy--faster than ever anticipated--in the years to come," said Mark Goodwin, the president and chief executive officer of Apex Clean Energy, in a press release.

West Texas also is home to 7X Energy Incorporated's (Austin, Texas) $200 million first phase of the Taygete Solar Energy Project near Fort Stockton, which is designed to generate 250 MW from photovoltaic (PV) modules. 7X Energy signed a series of power-purchase agreements earlier this year that account for the full output of Taygete's first and subsequent phases. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Another big-ticket solar project can be found in northern Texas: Engie North America Incorporated's (Chicago, Illinois) $320 million first phase of its solar facility in Anson. It is expected to generate 200 MW from an estimated 788,000 PV panels. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

Northern Texas also is home to a pair of smaller solar projects from Saturn Power Incorporated (New Hamburg, Ontario): the $15 million Shine Texas Solar Project, and $10.2 million of solar arrays at electric-service sites owned by CoServ Electric (Corinth, Texas), a not-for-profit rural electric utility cooperative. Both projects are expected to wrap up by the end of May. For more information, see Industrial Info's reports on the Shine Texas and CoServ array projects.

Central Texas lags behind other regions in fourth-quarter wind and solar kickoffs, but has a major project start positioned between Dallas and Austin: Engie North America Incorporated's $510 million windfarm in Prairie Hill, which is expected to generate 300 MW. The Nordex Group (Hamburg, Germany) signed a contract to provide and install 110 turbines at the site earlier this summer. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

The Gulf Coast, like the Permian, is one of the nation's oil and gas hotspots, thanks largely to surging international demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) and other products. But renewables have not been ignored: Iberdrola S.A.'s (Bilbao, Spain) $400 million second phase of the Karankawa Windfarm in Tynan is set to kick off next month and wrap up in about one year. Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Iberdrola, expects to generate 200 MW from 80 GE turbines. Last year, the subsidiary signed a power-purchase agreement with Nike Incorporated (NYSE:NKE) (Beaverton, Oregon) for much of the output from the full Karankawa complex. For more information, see Industrial Info's project report.

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