Aug 2, 2009
Panel OKs $200M for wind energy
Trish Choate Standard-Times Washington Bureau
Sunday, August 2, 2009
WASHINGTON - An initiative to drive the booming West Texas wind industry
moved forward in Congress recently when a committee approved a bill to spend
$200 million annually on wind-energy research.
The House Science and Technology Committee passed the Wind Energy Research
and Development Act of 2009 to establish a research and development program
to cut construction, generation and maintenance costs.
A West Texas congressman supported the bill and added an amendment that
could bring a demonstration wind farm to the Lone Star state.
"My amendment will specifically require the Department of Energy, as they
study wind energy, to collaborate not only with industry but also include
leaders in academia to measure performances in varied wind conditions across
the country," said Rep. Randy Neugebauer, a Lubbock Republican on the
committee.
A professor from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Andrew Swift, testified
in mid-July on Capitol Hill about the importance of studying how the wind
flows through wind farms.
Neugebauer¹s amendment also specifies the program fund research to study the
wake effect between upwind and downwind turbines - something emphasized by
Swift, director of the Wind Science and Engineering Research Center at Tech.
In addition, his measure requires a wind demonstration program to be in
varied locations to capture different wind regimes.
San Angelo¹s congressman is not a member of the committee, but he supports
promoting renewable energy technologies and approved of Neugebauer¹s
amendment.
"The academic partnership he has created will benefit students, wind energy
technology and the economy in the region," Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Midland,
said in a statement.
The committee approved the bill Wednesday. Authored by Rep. Paul Tonko,
D-N.Y., the legislation would provide $200 million per year for wind-energy
related research through 2014.
"The Wind Energy Research and Development Act is about perfecting wind
energy so it can play a more prominent role in the nation's energy mix,"
Tonko said in a news release.
If the bill gains final approval from Congress, it will foster technological
advances that could help the Department of Energy reach its goal of 20
percent of the nation¹s electricity coming from wind energy by 2030.
The Department of Energy estimated that reaching the 20 percent goal would
create 180,000 wind-industry jobs.
The Concho Valley and West Texas have become home to several wind farms.
Robert Lee and Sterling City, for example, have seen a big spike in the
number of wind turbines.
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