Hold Onto Your Hats, Folks … It's Wind Energy, Texas Style
- Details
- Written by Terry Firma
While the rest of the United States remains mired in a sluggish recovery from the 2008 financial meltdown and the persistent recession that has followed, the great state of Texas has not. Not only has the Lone Star State's economy grown and its population increased, employment figures continue to rise at pleasing rates, and all of these factors combine to make the state a model in the promise of managed dynamic growth.
With all of that relative atypical growth comes an ever increasing hunger for electricity Since 1960, Texas' total energy consumption has grown by an average of 2.2 percent per year, and it shows no signs of abating.
Not surprisingly, Texas produces and consumes more electricity than any other state in the Union. But what may be surprising to some is the fact that more and more of that demand for electricity is being met by wind power, a bit of an odd concept for a state that was made and is still dominated today by Big Oil.
The strain on the state's power grid has, of course, become a massive problem, especially during summer months when demand outstrips supply. In 2011, several spikes in wholesale electric prices were the result, causing headaches for businesses and residents and the power reserves alike. The two following summers were equally bad, but generally cooler weather in 2013 prevailed and helped to relieve the strain on the grid.
Since that time, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , which operates some 85 percent of the state's power grid, has added coal and natural gas generators to meet the demand, but even so, the lion's share has been from its installation of wind generators, located mostly in windy western Texas.
World's Largest Wind Turbine Installed Off The Coast Of Belgium
- Details
- Written by Terry Firma
The world's largest offshore wind turbine generator has just been installed some 28 miles off the coast of Ostend, Belgium, and the massive structure is capable of generating a whopping six megawatts of power, enough to provide ample power to 5,000 households, a decent 15 percent more than today's turbines.
Working at the behest of Belwind Offshore Energy of Belgium, Alstom is the designer of this particularly efficient piece of oxygen-friendly technology. A French multinational leader in the world of power generation, transmission and rail infrastructure, Alstom is based in Levallois-Perret, which is just west of Paris.
Scientists to Develop Economical Concentrating PV System
- Details
- Written by MyMelody
U.S. Installs Record Number Gigawatts of Wind Energy
- Details
- Written by MyMelody
Inspiring Blogs!
Websites We Visit
Most Popular
Older Articles
- ► 2016 (1)
- ► 2015 (1)
- ► 2014 (2)
- ► 2013 (31)
- ► 2012 (30)
- ► 2011 (18)
- ► 2010 (44)
- ► 2009 (23)