Tri-State Green Report - Wind Power- Commercial

When it comes to alternative energy, wind power is growing in popularity. Today it produces just one-percent of the worlds electricity. But in the last five years production has quadrupled and the sky is literally the limit. Texas is ground zero for wind power. The lone star state leads the nation in wind farms. Deep in the heart of Texas the relentless wind is no longer cursed, its embraced. "Were gonna be able to hang onto our land. Weve often wondered how we were gonna hang on because of the drought, were out of water, were out of grass, but now our family is gonna be in very good shape." Its a similar story for dozens of families in Texas. In the past five years around 2 thousand turbines have gone up in west Texas alone. "There was nothing in the distance except for the cedar trees and the hills that we have, and now theyre everywhere." Florida Power and Light is the nations leading producer of wind power.They have big plans for continued expansion in Texas. "We hope to continue to build here and keep Texas the number one wind state in the country." And this area of west Texas has proved to be a profitable investment."Weve got new schools that have been built with wind money. Families that have tremendously better jobs than they used to have, new homes, new cars. A lot of new folks moving to town." A one-point-five megawatt turbine like this can power up to 400 homes. "Wind strikes the turbine, it turns the blade, similar to an aircrafts wings, and the blades begin to spin which turns the generator and that creates electricity, which goes into the major grid system in west Texas." The US Department of Energy says one percent of the countrys electricity comes from wind power. But expansion is in the wind.There are plans for 25 percent from renewables, which mostly means wind over the next 20 years." On the wind swept Texas plains wind powers becoming a common part of the landscape, and a way of life. Denmark uses more wind power than any other country. 20-percent of its electricity is wind generated. Last year Vectren got approval to add wind energy from an Indiana wind farm to its generation portfolio. The wind farm suppling the energy is currently under construction in Benton county Indiana and should be complete by next summer.