WIND MAKES RECORD 15.2% OF TEXAS POWER

Wind energy sets new record in Texas...
October 18, 2011 (American Wind Energy Association)

"…[W]ind turbines in the service territory of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT, the main Texas electric grid) set a new output record on Oct. 7. That afternoon, wind generated 15.2% of ERCOT's demand for electricity that afternoon, or 7,400 megawatts (MW)… According to ERCOT, wind energy…[is almost] 58 percent of all new generation…in planning stages…in Texas…"

[Michael Goggin, Manager of Transmission Policy, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA):] "This…is good news for consumers…Wind generation offsets the use of expensive fossil fuels, is pollution-free, and uses virtually no water, unlike other sources of electricity…"

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[Michael Goggin, Manager of Transmission Policy, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA):] "…[T]his is yet another case showing that large amounts of wind energy can be integrated into existing utility systems reliably…[as the] number of wind turbines and wind farms [in Texas] and in other windy states across America is continuing to grow…"

[Michael Goggin, Manager of Transmission Policy, American Wind Energy Association (AWEA):] "…[This] shows the success of stable federal tax policies, starting with the Production Tax Credit for renewable energy…Wind power is delivering cheap electricity to ratepayers in hard economic times, and it's hard to overstate the benefits of that far-sighted tax policy…"