According to a new report, wind power has surpassed coal in Texas. This rise in wind power in the top energy-producing state is the biggest increase that occured in the past decades.
Believe it or not, wind was in charge of creating 22 percent of the electrical needs of the state, which was more than coal that provided 21 percent of the state’s power, according to data from the Electrical Reliability Council of Texas.
Wind over Coal
16 years ago, wind was only helping in the production of 0.8 percent of Texas’s power whereas coal was providing 40 percent of the country’s electrical needs.
However, by the year of 2010, wind power was in charge of providing 8 percent of the energy for the state which grew exponentially to 2018 and is now 22 percent in the first half of 2019.
The participation of coal has diminished in the last years, from 37 percent in 2013 to 24 percent last year and only 21 percent this year.
However, despite the rise in wind energy and reduction in coal usage, natural gas is still part of the state’s energy supplies and it produces 46 percent of its power in 2003 and 44 percent in 2018.
Wind Power on the Rise in Texas
Texas is a state which produces and uses more electricity than any other state. Its production of power doubled that of Florida, according to the US Energy Information Administration.
The wind is in the sails for the renewable industry in other areas of the country too. PSEG, the oldest and largest power company in New Jersey announced their pledge to go carbon-free by 2050.
According to the CEO, Ralph Izzo, climate change is real for them.
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