Texas getting 10 percent of electricity from wind

Fuel Fix:

The amount of wind power generated in the state cracked the 10 percent threshold last year for the first time as the industry continues to make strides in the western and Panhandle regions of Texas.

Wind was responsible for 10.6 percent of power generation in the state grid last year, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said in a report released Thursday. That’s up from 9.9 percent in 2013 and 6.2 percent in 2009.

Last year, the state set another wind threshold in March, when one evening it was responsible for providing nearly 29 percent of electricity that was in use on the ERCOT grid.
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The variability of wind is demonstrated by the  difference between the average of over 10 percent and the peak of 29 percent.  With that much difference state must have gas and coal energy to keep the lights on most of the time.  While most of the wind energy comes from West Texas and the Panhandle there are also coastal wind turbines in the Rio Grade Valley and the coastal bend area near Corpus Christi.  The state spend $7 billion on a transmission line to get the energy produced to market and it would take addition expenditures on transmission lines from the coastal area if more turbines were added there and offshore.  Corpus Christi Bay is the second windiest in the US so it has the potential to increase Texas production if the transmission lines are added.