New Mexico, Land of Windchantment

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=54266

New Mexico, nicknamed the Land of Enchantment, is rapidly becoming the "Land of Windchantment." There is a veritable wind land rush taking place in the state, with a plethora of wind developers signing wind power leases with ranchers across the eastern plains.

New Mexico is ranked 12th nationally in terms of wind energy potential, with about 50,000 megawatts (MW) of identified resource according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). By coincidence, the state is also ranked 12th in the U.S. for wind farm installations, with a total of 497 MW of installed capacity. Edison Mission Group (EMG) is now in the process of developing the 100-MW High Lonesome Mesa Wind Farm in eastern New Mexico using Clipper turbines.

New Mexico has the highest per capita wind energy usage of any state in the country, and Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) has one of the highest percentages of wind grid penetration of any utility, with about four percent of its annual energy production coming from wind. And at times, as much as 20 percent of the load is carried by wind when it's really blowing. Besides the clean power benefits, the other big advantage of wind power is that it does not require water for power generation, which for the arid Southwest is always a critical issue.

There are more than two dozen active wind developers in New Mexico. The existing windfarms were developed by Cielo Wind Power, a subsidiary of Texas Wind Power, FPL Energy, Babcock and Brown and Padoma Wind Power, with power from wind being sold to Xcel Energy, Arizona Public Service and PNM.

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[Warpy]

1. We're also becoming the land of sunchantment

because we've also got solar farms out there.

This poor state has been cursed with many square miles of land that won't grow anything but scrub, cactus, prairie dogs, rattlesnakes and coyotes. The wind and solar farms are a great idea out here and the critters seem grateful for a little more shade in the summer.

[Vincardog]

2. "the highest per capita wind energy usage of any state in the country" don't you think

that has more to do with the number of capita you have?


If they built two wind farms in Wyoming it would approach
your 'per capita' wind energy usage.