Farm creates green energy for UNT, Denton

By: Heather Jackson, Staff Writer

Posted: 6/9/09

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.