Uh-oh, Gwen’s letting her eco-geekiness show again. (sorry)
We only spent two nights in Texas, and we didn’t really have any plans for the state except for one thing: visit a wind farm. I had learned a while back that the state produces more wind energy than any other in the US, and I hadn’t ever seen a wind farm first-hand before, so on our first morning there we headed out to the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center – currently the world’s largest wind farm.
To call this wind farm huge would be an understatement. It wasn’t really even a place, but more like an uncountable number of wind turbines scattered across a vast landscape. The tall spiky turbines stretched literally as far as the eye can see (and probably farther). I found it quite stunning and I would even use the term “beautiful” to describe it, but it turns out that the locals have not taken so kindly to this green energy wonderland. In fact, they sued the farm shortly after it was completed, declaring it a “private nuisance”. They lost the suit.
Christopher and I wanted to get some footage of locals talking about the farm and giving their opinion about the 300-plus turbines that decorate the landscape around their ranches. But we failed (mainly out of laziness resulting from the hot Texas sun), so instead you get to watch me stuttering into the camera instead. Enjoy!
Filed under: Energy and Environment, Texas
Gwen – This is a fascinating bit, who knew those Texans were so into renewables? This might be a way to start deaing with the Big Footprint – a new kind of hybrid, Precision Auto with a wind turbine mounted on the roof, charging its battery bank as you roll along…Do you know what speed gives you best gas mileage? Probably around 45 mph…
I’ve always wanted to build a wind-powered car. As one of my colleagues once put it, “the faster you go, the faster you go!”