How much electricity does Texas produce?
Did you know that Texas produces more energy then any other state? According to US Energy Information Administration Texas produces almost twice as much electricity as the next closest state (Florida). It might seem like a lot of electricity but half of it is used by the Industrial sector. Refineries and chemical plants tend to be energy intensive.
What are the sources of electricity in Texas?
Texas relies on Solar, Wind, Coal, Natural Gas, and Nuclear to generate electricity. As of 2017 almost half of the electricity generated in Texas was from Natural Gas. In 2018 that number continued to grow. In 2010 Texas started using Wind to generate electricity. As of 2018 Wind accounted for about one-sixth of the electricity generated in Texas. Their are two nuclear reactors in Texas. Together they generated about one-tenth of our electricity. In 2017 Coal generated about three-tenths of our electricity. By 2018 Coal only accounted for about one-fourth of the electricity generated in Texas.
How much electricity is produced from Wind?
In 1999 the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) adopted rules regarding renewable energy production. The rules were amended in 2005 to mandate that 5% (5880 megawatts) of our electricity come from renewable sources by the year 2015. These rules also stipulated that by 2025 renewable energy sources should account for 10,000 megawatts of electricity. As of 2009 the State of Texas had surpassed the 2025 requirement primarily using wind. By December of 2018 wind generation in Texas exceeded 23,300 megawatts. Wind may not be the most environmentally friendly way to produce electricity but its better then some alternatives. If you are ever near Roscoe, Texas the size of the wind farm there is pretty amazing.
Final thoughts
As of 2018 when you exclude hydroelectric power Texas generated one-fifth of all renewable based electricity in the United States. When you consider how far Texas has come in the last ten years its pretty exciting.
