Photo taken by a Texas Green Ranger on their drive through West Texas.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Howdy Rangers! We took a week off but we are back with a renewed vigor for encouraging our readers to trust the use of renewable energy sources. A topic that came up a lot with our team was the amount of wind turbines that can be spotted in West Texas. 

West Texas, the region of Texas that is exactly what the country singers paint it as. Needless to say there is not much to see, but it is still the beautiful Texas plains that represent just another facet of this state that we are so proud of! A signature feature on the drive to Amarillo, Texas from Austin are the fields of enormous wind turbines. While there are a lot of them already, there could absolutely be more. But, as a city dweller it is ignorant to assume that those who live in the spacious areas want these structures taking up room.

So first, the cons:

1. Aesthetics. While there are many people who do like how the wind turbines look pretty and think that they are aesthetically pleasing that does not mean that everyone does. The windmills also produce noise, this is definitely a factor to take into consideration before casting any judgement on those who are not initially on board with having wind turbines in their vicinity.
2. Threat to the wildlife. Birds run into the wind turbines! This is a consideration to have but not the only one because there are other man-made structures that have harmful effects on the wildlife, such as cell phone and radio towers.
3. Nature is unpredictable. Nature will do what it pleases but if West Texas has nothing else, it has lots and lots of wind.

Next up, the pros:

1. Jobs. Wind energy means jobs. Putting up more of these structures require electricians, engineers and many other skilled jobs that Texans can provide. As wind energy continues to grow in popularity and citizens continue to push for more clean energy sources then there will be jobs to go along with the demand.
2. Aesthetics. Wind turbines are a figure in the horizon that stand as a reminder that the future is moving towards clean energy. Their gigantic stature is one that will not go unnoticed and people that drive through the countryside have a visual representation of the impact that Texas is already making on reducing it’s carbon footprint. 
3. Free. Wind and sun are free resources there is an abundance of wind and sun specifically in west Texas.  While oil is costly these elements are staples of the west Texas environment that are absolutely free!

Wind is an important energy source that can be a primary resource in the Texan economic system. Oil is very important to the Texas economy but pushing for more companies to produce electric cars as opposed to cars that run on gas will in turn be better for the environment.

Oil will eventually dry up, but why would you wait for that day rather than arm yourselves with the tools that can sustain life without fossil fuels.