For years now, Houston has been known as the energy capital of the world. When renewables started to appear on the horizon, many in the Lone Star State feared Texas’s days in that leadership capacity were numbered. People increasingly said they no longer wanted to rely on fossil fuels and particularly oil – the stuff Texas was famous for.
Fast forward a few years and it is clear Texans are much more than just a bunch of oil men, they are entrepreneurs.
They recognized that to remain the centre of energy talent, technology and innovation, the state, too, had to move into renewables. The opening today of the world’s largest wind farm by E.ON Climate and Renewables near Roscoe, Texas, underscores how far the state has come. The project is not only big – as people like things in Texas – but it spans parts of four Texas counties, covering nearly 100,000 acres, several times the size of Manhattan. This is bigger than big.
And the project goes a long way toward keeping Texas ahead of the pack. Here is what the state’s governor, Rick Perry, had to say:
Texas continues to lead the nation in the development of renewable energy, and has more wind generation capacity than any other state and all but four countries. We are pleased that E. On Climate & Renewables North America has chosen to open this facility in Roscoe that will further expand our state’s diverse energy portfolio.
The project will likely pay dividends in a myriad of ways. The project took more than a $1bn investment, coordination with more than 300 landowners, and management of more than 500 workers. The wind farm hosts 627 wind turbines, manufactured by Mitsubishi, General Electric and Siemens. The wind farm now generates enough electricity to power more than 230,000 homes.
A lot of people have been touched by this project. Not only does it provide jobs and power, but it convinces other companies that Texas is not only a welcoming market for future wind projects but a place where project execution is guaranteed.
And that is likely to be enough to bring in more investors to keep Texas at the top of its bid to remain energy capital of the world – regardless of whether that energy is produced by the drill bit or the wind mill.
