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Going Green
&Clean

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CITY OF GEORGETOWN

Located 50 miles west of Amarillo, the Spinning Spur 3 wind project has been providing more than 90 percent of the power
for the City of Georgetown since September 2015.

By George Przybys ables has been contracted to provide 144 a little bit better to breathe.
megawatts (MW) of wind energy through
We all know we live in a great 2039, while SunEdison will provide 150 Looking at the costs, it is clear the de-
community, in a great state, in MW of PV energy through 2042. The total cision was the right one. In November
a great country. What you may contracted power is twice as much as is 2015, the New York-based investment
not know is that Georgetown, the fastest currently used during the most demand- bank Lazard published a study on the
growing U.S. city of its size, will no longer ing day. The city will sell off any excess current U.S. electrical production costs.
be purchasing electrical energy produced power to Energy Reliability Council of They found costs per hour ran as follows:
from fossil fuels. By the end of April, wind Texas (ERCOT). The needs for future onshore wind turbines $32-$77; large
turbines and photovoltaic (PV) solar cells energy will be adequately met with the scale PV, $50-$60; coal-fired, $65-$150,
will supply 100% of our community’s elec- two contracts, even with our current and nuclear, $97. With increasing num-
trical energy. With a population rapidly rate of population growth. While reduc- bers of PV panels being manufactured
approaching 70,000, Georgetown will ing the carbon footprint (carbon dioxide and technological improvements in solar
become the fourth and largest city (by emissions) was not a part of the decision to electrical energy conversion efficiency,
population) in the U.S. to do so. process, the result is no less impressive: the kW cost continues to drop. It should
the net annual reduction will be approxi- be noted that the cost for PV energy is
The move to renewable energy was based mately 24,000 pounds of carbon dioxide based upon the amount of sunshine at
strictly upon the purchase price of an elec- per household. And with approximately the collection site. The lowest prices are
trical kilowatt (kW) generated from the 25,000 households, our air may just get in the sunniest locations.
combination of wind and solar versus that
from fossil fuels or nuclear. EDF Renew- Wind turbine generated electrical energy

68 | SUNRAYS JANUARY 2017 ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG