|
Wind power in Texas consists of many wind farms with a total installed nameplate capacity of 12,212 MW〔(AWEA Third Quarter 2012 Market Report )〕 from over 40 different projects. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state.〔 The wind boom in Texas was assisted by expansion of the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard, use of designated Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, expedited transmission construction, and the necessary Public Utility Commission rule-making. Wind power accounted for 9% of the electricity generated in Texas during 2014.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.awea.org/MediaCenter/pressrelease.aspx?ItemNumber=7294 )〕 The Roscoe Wind Farm (781 MW) is the state's largest wind farm. Other large wind farms in Texas include: Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, Sherbino Wind Farm, Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm, Sweetwater Wind Farm, Buffalo Gap Wind Farm, King Mountain Wind Farm, Desert Sky Wind Farm, Wildorado Wind Ranch, and the Brazos Wind Farm. ==Overview== Wind power has a long history in Texas. West Texas State University began wind energy research in 1970 and led to the formation of the Alternative Energy Institute (AEI) in 1977. AEI has been a major information resource about wind energy for Texas. The first 80-meter tower was erected at Big Spring, Texas in 1999.〔"Turbine timeline: The History of AWEA and the U.S. Wind Industry: 1990s." American Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 24 November 2015. (AWEA website )〕 The expanding wind power market will help Texas meet its 2015 renewable energy goal of 5,000 new megawatts of power from renewable sources.〔(Airtricity Finalizes 209-MW Wind Project in Texas ) ''Renewable Energy Access'', 16 May 2007.〕 Several forces are driving the growth of wind power in Texas: the wind resource in many areas of the state is very large, large projects are relatively easy to site, and the market price for electricity is set by natural gas prices and so is relatively high.〔(Wind Riding Favorable Policy Breeze Toward Record Year ) ''Renewable Energy Access'', 5 June 2007.〕 The broad scope and geographical extent of wind farms in Texas is considerable: Wind resource areas lie in the Texas Panhandle, along the Gulf coast south of Galveston, and in the mountain passes and ridge tops of the Trans-Pecos in the western tip of Texas. There are still 80,000 windmills operating in Texas, used to pump water.〔(Roping the Breezes )〕 Texas farmers may lease their land to wind developers for either a set rental per turbine or for a small percentage of gross annual revenue from the project. This offers farmers a fresh revenue stream without impacting traditional farming and grazing practices. Although leasing arrangements vary widely, the U. S. Government Accountability Office reported in 2004 that a farmer who leases land to a wind project developer can generally obtain royalties of $3,000 to $5,000 per turbine per year in lease payments. These figures are rising as larger wind turbines are being produced and installed.〔State Energy Conservation Office. (The New Cash Crop )〕 The wind power industry is also creating thousands of jobs for communities and for the state. Increases in the deployment of wind technology and the various aspects of producing electricity from wind power may help to offset lost jobs in Texas if oil drilling activity on land and in the Gulf of Mexico subsides.〔(Texas wind energy )〕 Sabotage and industrial accidents can be potential threats to the large, centrally located, power plants that provide most of Texas’ electricity. Should one of these plants be damaged, repairs could take more than a year, possibly creating power shortages on a scale that Texans have never experienced before. Coal trains and gas pipelines are also vulnerable to disruption. However, wind power plants are quickly installed and repaired. The modular structure of a wind farm also means that if one turbine is damaged, the overall output of the plant is not significantly affected.〔SEED Coalition and Public Citizen’s Texas office (2002). (Renewable Resources: The New Texas Energy Powerhouse ) p. 11.〕 Wind is a highly variable resource. With proper understanding it can be incorporated into an electric utility's generation mix. When providing for the generating capacity to meet the peak demand in summer, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which manages the Texas power grid, counted wind at 8.7% of nameplate capacity in 2008. Many areas in Texas have wind conditions allowing for development of wind power generation. The number of commercially attractive sites will expand as wind turbine technology improves and development costs continue to drop. The wind power boom in Texas has outstripped the capacity of the transmission systems in place, and predicted shortages in transmission capability may dampen the growth of the industry in years to come. Until 2008, the growth in wind power "piggybacked" on existing lines, but had almost depleted spare capacity.〔USA Today. (Lines lacking to transmit wind energy ).〕 As a result, in winter the west Texas grid often has such a local surplus of power that the price falls below zero.〔 〕 According to Michael Goggin, electric industry analyst at AWEA, "Prices fell below US −$30/MWh (megawatt-hour) on 63% of days during the first half of 2008, compared to 10% for the same period in 2007 and 5% in 2006."〔 〕 In July 2008, utility officials gave preliminary approval to a $4.9 billion plan to build new transmission lines to carry wind-generated electricity from West Texas to urban areas such as Dallas. The new plan would be the biggest investment in renewable energy in U.S. history, and would add transmission lines capable of moving about 18,000 megawatts.〔(Texas Will Spend Billions on Transmission of Wind Power )〕 ERCOT curtailed 17% (3.8 TWh) in 2009, but only 0.5% in 2014, as transmission improved, particularly the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone.〔Wiser, Ryan H., and Mark Bolinger. "(2014 Wind Technologies Market Report )" page 38. ''Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory'', August 2015.〕〔Wiser, Ryan H., Eric Lantz, Mark Bolinger, and Maureen M. Hand. "(Recent Developments in the Levelized Cost of Energy from U.S. Wind Power Projects )" page 12. ''Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory'', 2012. (Header page )〕 In areas where Smart Metering is commonly installed,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.puc.texas.gov/industry/electric/reports/scope/2015/2015scope_elec.pdf/ )〕 some utilities offer free electricity at night.〔(【引用サイトリンク】author=CLIFFORD KRAUSS and DIANE CARDWELL )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Wind power in Texas」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|