Panhandle To Get Second Wind Farm

Many have been asking for electricity to be generated in cleaner ways and using renewable resources, instead of building more dirty coal-burning plants. It looks like Texas is jumping big-time into this market. Soon, Texas may be the nation's leading producer of electricity from wind energy.

And they couldn't have found a better area to do it in -- the high plains of the Texas Panhandle. If there's one thing the Panhandle has plenty of, it's wind. There are few days without wind on the high plains.

Last June, I told you about the Mesa Group's plans to build a wind farm in four counties of the Panhandle (Gray, Hemphill, Roberts and Wheeler). They said this huge wind farm should produce about 3,000 megawatts of electricity. This is slightly more than the energy produced by the nuclear plant at Comanche Peak.

Now, a second wind farm is being planned for the Panhandle. TXU is teaming up with Shell WindEnergy to build a wind farm in Briscoe county southeast of Amarillo. This one will also produce around 3,000 megawatts. Adding a new wrinkle, the group says they are considering the use of compressed air for those few days when the wind doesn't blow in the Panhandle.

This sounds like a good deal for everyone. After they get back their initial investment, the power companies will have plants powered by a very cheap renewable source. Farmers and ranchers will have a new source of income that won't pollute their land. Electric consumers will get the electricity they need without any accompanying pollution. New jobs will also be created for Panhandle residents to build and maintain the systems.

I commend both groups and wish them success. This is the kind of forward-thinking that Texas needs.