The booming wind energy industry in Texas didn’t just pop up over night — it was a result of years of research, advocacy, and policy work. Ever wondered how it all happened? Smitty, the director of Public Citizen’s Texas Office, has a story to tell — check it out!
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Seeing as we are just at the beginning of the history of wind, it is a story that is constantly evolving. Coastal wind projects have been developed in Texas recently (look for a post on this very topic soon!). Just this week, the Abilene Reporter News ran an article about a local professor and director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Texas Tech that testified on a bill in Congress that would pump $200 million annually into research and development for wind power. While wind is of course a viable industry in its current stages, further R&D will allow it to provide an even larger portion of our total electricity needs, operate more efficiently, and be an even cheaper and more reliable form of energy.
While you’re at it, check out this recent article from the Guardian about the “furious search for practical, affordable electricity storage” so that excess energy produced when the wind is blowing but no one’s lights are on can be socked away and used when we need it most.
