INLAND TX CITY BUYS COAST WIND

Austin Energy again looks to the coast for wind power
Marty Toohey, September 21, 2011 (Austin American-Statesman)

"For the third time this year, Austin Energy has looked to the Texas coast to satisfy its green ambitions…The utility will pay as much as $29 million per year for electricity produced by a wind farm…capable of generating as much as 200 megawatts. [The 84 wind turbines are expected to come online at the end of next year]…

"The 25-year deal with…Iberdrola Renewables Inc. follows two other recently signed coastal-wind contracts, with Duke Energy and MAP Royalty Inc…The three coastal wind farms are expected to produce enough electricity over the course of a year to power 140,000 average homes…"

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"Austin Energy will be close to reaching its 10-year goal of 35 percent renewable energy by 2020…Coastal wind…does not blow all the time…[N]atural gas…[will be] ready on standby…

"But unlike West Texas wind, which mostly blows at night when it's least needed, coastal wind tends to blow during the afternoon, when the day is hottest and electricity demand is highest…[B]oth Austin and San Antonio's CPS Energy have deemed coastal wind cost-effective…"