Wind Produced 10 Percent of Texas Electricity in 2014, Grid Operator Says

More than 10 percent of the electricity used in Texas last year came from wind turbines, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state's electric grid. Wind's share of the Texas electric mix grew from just over 6 percent in 2009 to 10.6 percent in 2014.  During that period, wind power generation actually doubled — rising from 18.8 million megawatt-hours to 36.1 million — while total electricity generation in Texas also rose by 11 percent.  The share of electricity generated by wind power in Texas is more than double the U.S. figure of 4.4 percent.  The growth in wind generation in Texas is a result of new wind plants coming online and grid expansions that have allowed more wind power to flow through the system to consumers, the council said.  A state-directed transmission expansion program, which removed constraints that had been preventing wind generators from operating at maximum capability, also has allowed wind to play a larger role in Texas' electricity grid.

Read original article at Wind Produced 10 Percent of Texas Electricity in 2014, Grid Operator Says