Wind Developers in Texas Continue to Exceed State Requirements

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)-- Texas continues to lead in wind development in North America with almost 4,000 megawatts (MW) of wind generation operational and with plans for 3,600 MW more to be completed by the end of 2008. The Legislature had set a goal I 1999 of 2,880 MW by 2009 that was reached in 2006. The Legislature then proposed in 2005 a goal of 5,880 MW by 2015 and 10,000 MW by 2025. Developers currently have about 600 MW under construction that are to be complete by the end of the year with 3,000 MW more planned for completion in 2008. At the current rate of construction, the 2015 goal of 5,880 MW should be attained in 2009. The goal of 10,000 MW of wind generation for 2025 could be exceeded in 2012.

Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which is responsible for about 75% of the power delivered in Texas, includes only 8.7 % of installed wind capacity as the “effective load-carrying capability of wind” in its capacity, demand and reserves report. This reflects less than 400 MW of total capacity, or about 0.4% of the “effective load-carrying capacity”. This does not reflect what is produced and sold but what the grid feels like it can rely on at all times.

Developers like Mesa Power LLC (Dallas, Texas); Babcock and Brown LP (Sydney, Australia); FPL Energy, a subsidiary of FPL Group (Juno, Beach, Florida); Airtricity (Dublin Ireland); Shell WindEnergy Incorporated (Houston, Texas), a subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell (The Hague, Netherlands); and BP Alternative Energy (Houston, Texas), a subsidiary of BP Global Power (London, England) are just some of the players that have or will have built major windfarms in Texas. FPL Energy has the largest operating windfarm in the world — the 735 MW Horse Hollow Energy Center on more than 47,000 acres in Taylor and Nolan counties in Texas.

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