Texas sets a new wind power record in November

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Jake Dean

Texas leads the nation in wind power and set a new record this month.

Nicholas Sakelaris

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

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Wind power set a new record in Texas this month with 10,301 megawatts of power generated, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas.

Wind turbines set the record at 10:39 a.m. Nov. 2, providing 33.4 percent of the power within ERCOT, which covers 85 percent of Texas.

The state of Texas currently has 11,500 MW of installed wind power so the grid used nearly 90 percent of the power available when it set the record.

The previous record was 10,296 MW set on March 26.

Wind power produced 23.9 million MWh so far in 2014, or 9 percent of the power in the state. Texas has by far the most wind power of any state and produces more wind power than many countries.

Still, wind power has faced criticism from politicians in Austin who say it relies too much on subsidies and should stand on its own.

Supporters say all types of energy, including coal, oil and natural gas, receive their share of incentives and tax breaks.

One Dallas company has a unique take on building community wind farms in West Texas and the Panhandle.

Nicholas covers the energy, manufacturing, aviation and transportation beats for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe the Energy Inc. newsletter