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Windfarm gives Texans power

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Posted: 6/19/09

It's almost a normal ranch, much like the thousands of others across the state. Herds of black cattle graze lazily in fields of thick grass. Rusted storage tanks sit patiently near gravel roads and barbed-wire fences. Clear ponds reflect the reds and yellows of the morning sun.

But looming 300 feet above these icons of the Texas plains, the sleek metal giants of Cooke County's Wolf Ridge Wind Farm inexorably spin their three, pointed blades.

The silence of them is palpable, the slow circumference of tons of steel emitting only a soft electric hum audible near the base. Scattered nearby, the rolling creaks of small oil derricks whimper with resignation, dwarfed by its technological descendents.

At first, the sight is odd, even startling, like being landed on some planet where the science fiction of Phillip K. Dick madly commingles with the idyllic frontier of Louis L'amour.

But this is a state that likes to do things big, and after a couple hours in their presence, the windmills seem an inevitable addition to Texas 172-year history.

And unlike the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium, wind power in Texas is a necessary one.

Texas emits more carbon dioxide than any other state

If it were a country, it would rank 6th in the world in wind power

An hour away from Denton, the 7-ton arms of 30-story giants are taking Denton and UNT's Mean Green to "clean green."

About 30 Denton officials and UNT faculty members donned hard hats and safety goggles for the first public tour of 75 wind turbines at the Wolf Ridge Wind Farm Thursday in Muenster, Texas, located more than 40 miles north of Denton.

The farm is owned by NextEra Energy Resources, the largest generator of wind and solar power in North America. On May 1, the farm began providing Denton's utility company, Denton Municipal Electric,with about 40 percent of the city's energy.

Visitors toured the inside of the turbines and learned how they operate, about the software used to operate the machines and other high-tech features, such as controls used to tilt the wind blades for maximum efficiency.

"As much as we can try to describe what a great opportunity this was, nothing can replace experiencing it for yourself," Phil Williams, general manager of Denton Municipal Electric, said.

The power purchase agreement between DME and NextEra is predicted to help minimize the carbon footprint for Denton as well as the utility company's more than 43,000 customers, according to DME's Web site.

"The city of Denton is the 10th fastest growing city in the United States," Denton Mayor Mark Burroughs said. "Now the city of Denton is well positioned to meet that growth … by providing alternative fuels in a dependable way to our citizenry."

Many visitors were pleased and impressed by the site and the partnership between the two power companies.

"This is the best thing to happen to this city," said Charlye Heggins, city council member for District 1.