TEXAS POWER POLITICS & WIND

Texas wind power politics
Betsy Simnacher, March 2, 2010 (Dallas Morning News)

"…Apparently, the politics of power in Texas pits the natural gas producers and the growing wind power industry…It's an interesting situation to watch…

[From SmartPlanet:] “…wind can be a replacement for other fuels…Tudor Pickering & Holt, a Houston investment bank, contends that the natural gas used to power electric plants could fall by 18.5 percent by 2013 as plants sit idle…”

Texas is working to expand transmission because a larger system somewhat alleviates the need for backup fossil fuels. (click to enlarge)

"Ercot, the operator of the grid here in Texas, collects data on power availability and price from the different sources of power generation every evening. But wind producers, of course, are subject to the weather, something they can't control."

Many Texans consider allegiance to wind a matter of loyalty. (click to enlarge)

"If something happens and the power producer is unable to supply the promised amount of power, the producer has to pay for backup. But if the wind doesn't blow as expected, the backup costs are spread among all the producers. Unfair, say the other producers. How can we accurately predict the wind? ask the wind producers.

"On wind energy, our editorial department is on the record: ‘Support for wind energy is crucial for our state - and the entire nation - as we pursue long-term cleaner-energy alternatives to coal, such as natural gas, solar, nuclear and wind power.’ And the Business section is keeping us up to date on lines to deliver West Texas wind energy to other parts of the state."