Wind capacity to overthrow coal in Texas by the end of 2017

By Sophie Chapman
 By the end of next year, it is anticipated that the total wind capacity in the state of Texas will beat coal. Accord...

 By the end of next year, it is anticipated that the total wind capacity in the state of Texas will beat coal.

According to the University of Texas, the state’s power grid capacity will reach 10,000MW more in capacity than coal.

Coal is in steep decline in the US following the rise and competition of shale gas, despite President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign regarding saving coal jobs.

As coal declines wind power increases, with the costs getting lower and lower and the ability to operate turbines and farms becoming more efficient.

SEE ALSO:

Following the establishment of CREZ wind transformation line – which has enabled highly-populated areas in the state to receive clean power – Texas’ wind power is also expected to overrun coal in terms of generation.

“Wind could overtake coal in terms of annual energy generation by 2020 or sooner if more coal plants close,” the University of Texas reported.

“The Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ interconnection queue — the amount of electricity generation expected to come on line during the next few years — projects 29,500 MW of wind, 23,800 MW of solar and 14,400 MW of natural gas,” they added.

As of the third quarter of 2017, Texas has a wind capacity of 21,4500MW, which is over a quarter of the US’ total capacity of 84,946MW.

Share

Featured Articles

Chevron’s hydrogen investment and green energy endeavours

President of Chevron New Energies Jeff Gustavson comments on its hydrogen input and further renewable energy exploits to come from the leading energy firm

Honeywell debunks hydrogen energy and its global challenges

Maya Gomez, Director of Green H2 CCM at Honeywell, uncovers the different types of hydrogen and the challenges of applying them for more sustainable energy

ABB Motion & WindESCo partner to strengthen wind energy

ABB Motion invests in WindESCo to sustain wind turbine performance, in a renewable energy drive that will help ABB in its net zero ambitions

Shell Energy UK and Germany acquired by Octopus Energy

Utilities

Sustainability LIVE links to energy and electrification

Sustainability

Green energy: A hot topic at Sustainability LIVE 2023

Sustainability