CPWEA: Press Release - The WINDPOWER Experience

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association
Kelly Ayers, Executive Director
(806) 983-2793
Kelly.j.ayers@gmail.com

Texas Panhandle Well Represented at Recent Wind Power Conference

FLOYDADA, Texas, June 2, 2010 – “We like wind; go get smart on it,” is what former President George W. Bush told the Texas Public Utility Commission Chairman, Pat Wood, back when he was the governor of Texas.

At the recent American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) annual WINDPOWER Conference in Dallas the 43rd President of the United States reflected back on key decisions he made that helped make Texas a leader in wind energy development. Bush also noted that if Texas were an independent nation it would be the sixth largest wind producing country.

Texas’s success in wind energy made it the ideal location to hold this year’s annual meeting of approximately 20,000 attendees and 1,400 exhibitors interested in wind energy, and the Texas Panhandle didn’t go unrepresented. Along with Caprock Plains Wind Energy Association, a non-profit group representing those supportive of wind energy throughout Hale, Floyd, Motley and surrounding counties in Texas, several others from the region attended the conference with the hopes of spreading the word that wind energy development is welcome in the region.

Justin Jaworski, Executive Director of the Floydada Economic Development Corporation attended the event in association with The High Ground of Texas. The High Ground is a regional economic development coalition of the 66 counties stretching from the Panhandle through the South Plains and to the upper Permian Basin.

“The level of representation for this region was incredible considering the size of this event. It was a great opportunity to talk up the region to some of the top developers in the nation,” Jaworski said. “We were able to make contact with several companies and remind them of the great wind resources we have and how business friendly we are as well.”

This year was David Foster’s first time to attend the annual event. Foster, a local landowner, said developers seem to be hesitant to move forward because of current transmission constraints in the region and are looking for areas that have collected meteorological (met) data. Foster said he developed contacts within the industry that could be instrumental in bringing more wind energy development to the South Plains.

“From all the developers I talked to it seemed like collecting met data was the best thing we could do to entice them to our area,” Foster said. “With the magnitude of investment that these companies are putting into wind, it really looks like the up and coming thing.”

During one of the breakout sessions during the conference, panel speakers recognized the lack of transmission as a major issue for renewable energy development. One speaker noted that the Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) transmission build out in Texas is working to put the chicken first, essentially helping to solve the chicken versus the egg scenario with transmission and wind development in the Texas Panhandle.

Another session featured Ray Perryman of The Perryman Group, an economic and financial analysis firm that recently released a study outlining the impact of CREZ on electricity cost savings and economic development. The Perryman Group found that many areas throughout the state stand to benefit greatly from the CREZ build out, saving the typical Texas residential consumer between $160 and $355 annually on electric bills, creating $30 billion in economic gains, employing thousands and bringing in several billion dollars in state and local taxes. You can find the full report at http://www.perrymangroup.com.

Many experts at the conference expressed that extensive wind development is a national challenge that needs top down solutions. AWEA’s CEO Denise Bode stated that our nation is essentially competing with one hand tied behind its back until we get a solid national commitment to renewable development. Noted in a session on public acceptance, 89 percent of American voters believe that wind energy is a good idea.

CPWEA is a non-profit association working to connect landowners and local businesses with the wind industry. Our goal is to recruit wind development to the region and help revitalize rural communities. Go to http://www.caprockplainswind.com to find out more about our association and how you can help support our cause.

###

Photos courtesy of the American Wind Energy Association. Find more photos from the event at www.flickr.com/awea.