Lack of regulation along with having transmission line in place allows Texas to lead nation in wind energy

Fuel Fix:

It is no secret that Texas leads the nation in wind power capacity -- at 20,000 megawatts, wind exceeds coal capacity here. It should come as no surprise, then, that Texas also produces more wind energy than most countries around the world, and it leads the national with wind-industry employment.

But how did Texas' wind industry become so dominant? The answer is good policy, planning and a very Texan freedom from federal regulation, according to a report released Tuesday by the Southern Legislative Conference, a public policy forum for southern states.

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In 2005, Texas chose to get ahead of renewable energy development by creating Competitive Renewable Energy Zones, where transmission lines were extended to help support wind power development in isolated regions of the state. The transmission network has lured other types of renewable energy -- such as solar power -- to Texas, where companies find developing projects easier with existing transmission lines.

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But 90 percent of Texas' grid is not regulated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, so wind project permitting typically required by federal oversight does not apply in Texas, according to the South Legislative Conference report.
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Unnecessary regulations are an impediment to most businesses and wind energy is no exception.  I have seen stories where windmills in the Northeast had no transmission lines to get the energy to market.  Texas is also big enough to be able to consume the energy produces and also has natural gas to deal with days when the grid needs to scale up to meet demand like the recent cold snap.