Before this article, I knew almost nothing about the Wind power use in Texas. I know the basics of wind power in general, but its place in the US and Texas specifically were unbeknownst to me.
I learned that Texas now leads the US in wind power production. The thesis of this article and the most intriguing aspect of Texas's wind industry is that pure profit is the incentive that is driving the use of wind. Government incentives and R&D help, but at the end of the day, money in the hands of landowners and investors is the primary goal. Various politicians, judges, and NGOs have jumped onto the pro-wind train solely because of its profitable incentives. In 2005, then-governor Rick Perry approved a $7 billion-dollar program to increase the range and reachability of the power generated from wind farms.
This article is relevant to our class because of our discussion of renewable energy sources. Wind is one of the most widely used and one of the cheapest sources of renewable energy. This article pertains to how we can better convince conservatives to get on the right side of climate change and clean energy.
Overall, though profit and economic incentives are the most pure-of-heart or sympathetic to climate scientists, profit is a universal language. If we can create economic incentives for the use and improvement of cleaner businesses and renewable energy sources, no one (especially conservatives!) would be opposed to the right practices.
