by Elisa Wood
Unlikely as it may seem, a billionaire oilman and the ‘Lone Star State’ of Texas are driving wind to new heights of acceptance and growth in the United States, as the country becomes the top nation for wind power production for the first time. Elisa Wood reports.
Randall Swisher, the executive director of the American Wind Energy Association, has been telling people for a long time that wind energy is a great idea. And he has seen his efforts help move US wind power, step by step, from a fringe alternative to a mainstream resource. This work took decades, but he suddenly has on his hands what feels like an ‘overnight sensation’, brought on by a succession of events over the summer that pushed the wind resource to the fore of the American psyche.
‘It really does feel like just a huge wave of change is occurring’, he said. ‘It was 25 to 30 years getting to this point, but people are waking up. People suddenly recognize that there may be something to this wind stuff.’
Wakey, wakey?
Prompting this wake-up, first and foremost, billionaire energy fund manager T. Boone Pickens decided to make wind energy his cause, and began pumping his message into the American living room. In a barrage of prime-time television commercials, he warned an already recession-anxious public that over the next decade US dependence on foreign oil will represent a US$10 trillion transfer of wealth out of the country, the largest in the history of mankind. His solution depends upon building enough wind power to supply 20% of US electricity in 10 years, a significant increase from today’s 1%.
His confidence in wind energy seemed justified when, in July, word spread quickly over news wires, the internet and television that the US had surpassed Germany as the largest producer of wind generation during the first half of 2008. Although Germany still has more installed wind capacity, the US has stronger winds so produces more electricity from its facilities. Those who have been promoting the resource scored a point in capturing American pride.
At about the same time, former US Vice President Al Gore put forth a controversial challenge to supply all of the country’s electricity from renewable energy within 10 years. While many industry analysts question the goal’s feasibility, they commend Gore for creating an ambitious vision.
And finally, the state of Texas made the news when it took a concrete step to solve one of the biggest obstructions to wind power — the need to construct massive new transmission facilities to move the energy from remote wind farms to demand centres.
The state public utilities commission (PUC) on 17 July approved a transmission scenario for an innovative planning model known as the competitive renewable energy zone (CREZ). These zones are designated for wind development and offer a co-ordinated plan to build an accompanying transmission superhighway. By marshalling government and market forces, the decision paves the way for $4.93 billion of transmission construction to accommodate 11,550 MW of new wind projects— two to three times more capacity than currently installed in the state…
In announcing the purchase, Pickens said that the development of wind power is critical as oil supplies decline. ‘You find an oilfield, it peaks and starts declining, and you’ve got to find another one to replace it’, Pickens said. ‘It can drive you crazy. With wind, there’s no decline curve.’…
