Everything really is bigger in Texas — including the new wind farm proposed by Shell WindEnergy, Houston, and Luminant, a subsidiary of Dallas-based TXU Corp. The two energy giants recently announced a joint development agreement to build a 3,000-megawatt wind power plant in the Texas Panhandle — more than four times the size of the world's largest wind farm currently in operation.
In order to take advantage of the region's exceptional wind resources and relatively low cost of transmitting the wind power to wholesale markets, the planned wind facility will be located in Briscoe County. “Luminant is committed to providing Texans with clean sources of energy, and this agreement with Shell is a real next step in delivering on that commitment,” says Mike Childers, CEO of Luminant Development.
In addition, Shell WindEnergy and Luminant are exploring the use of compressed air energy storage, in which excess power could be used to pump air underground for later use in generating electricity.