The benefits of wind energy are something we've all been hearing a lot about lately and in some parts of the US, this renewable energy technology may be able to meet a significant portion of the demand. Other than the obvious good that using wind power can do for the environment, there are a lot of Texan oil companies which are beginning to diversify into wind. Keep reading for a look at the rise of wind energy in Texas and elsewhere across the country. T. Boone Pickens made his fortune in oil, but this Texas oilman is now throwing his backing to using wind power in Texas. There are also wind farms showing up in Midwestern states and in Oregon, General Electric has just signed a $1.5 billion, ten year contract to supply a wind farm with turbines …show more content…
Combined with the public awareness of the negative effects of burning fossil fuels, wind power has been getting more and more interest. Natural gas, a fossil fuel the US has larger reserves of is being examined as an alternative to foreign energy supplies along with an assist from renewable energies like wind power. In some areas of Texas, it's possible to drive for nearly 150 miles and see turbines all over the place. While not everyone loves how wind turbines look, there are just as many who look at these structures and see a future where the US can be energy independent. In Nolan County, Texas there are 1,500 wind generators in operation (which is approximately $5 billion worth of renewable energy technology). In this county alone, more energy is generated per year using wind power than is produced in the entire state of California. Other areas in the state of Texas are having similar wind booms. The Rolling Plains region has two thousand turbines in operation, and Midland and Odessa's Permian Basin region produces about six thousand megawatts of electricity from three thousand turbines. New towers in some areas are going up at the rate of three to four a