Eon Climate and Renewables Locates in Coastal Bend
Published Aug 14, 2009
As demand for renewable energy increases, forward-thinking investors, officials and landowners are teaming up to give Coastal Bend a head start on wind-energy production.
“In the last couple of years, wind energy has grown tremendously,” says Adam Cohen, Southwest development manager for Eon Climate and Renewables. “It’s gone from being a cottage-type industry to a vital part of our energy mix.”
And Coastal Bend, he says, is a great place for the industry to take root.
“Coastal Bend has huge growth and some of the highest power prices in the country, so there’s a need for a more efficient, price-stabilized power source like wind,” Cohen says.
Furthermore, the region is equipped to meet two of the renewable-energy industry’s greatest challenges: storage and transmission. Coastal Bend’s wind flow is highest at peak demand times, making significant storage unnecessary. And transmission lines with plenty of available capacity are located close to potential wind-farm sites.
Recognizing the area’s potential, Eon began scouting Coastal Bend sites in 2005. With support from forward-thinking officials around the region, the company then embarked on an ambitious plan to build a number of wind farms in the South Texas area by 2012.
The first two wind farms are scheduled for completion by 2010. Together, they will generate about 400 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 118,000 homes.
“We’ve had help from so many directions,” Cohen says. “Senators, representatives, city and county governments, economic development agencies, local colleges and school districts, the Texas Farm Bureau, the Port of Corpus Christi – they’ve all been very supportive.”
Such support is not surprising, given the tremendous long-term benefits wind energy brings to the region.
“Setting up a wind farm is not like drilling for oil or gas – our turbines are going to run for 30 years,” Cohen says. “We consider ourselves a permanent member of these communities.”
As of summer 2009, Eon had already hired 150 local employees and spent $18 million on local contracts. Since the company offers a set fuel price over the life of its turbines, local residents should see a decrease in their electric bills. And the farmers whose lands house the turbines now have a guaranteed source of yearly income.
“That means they can keep farming, even if they have a year of bad crops,” Cohen says.
The overall result is a renewed sense of community pride.
“These communities are part of something that’s the future of the country – it has a benefit not just for them but also for their children and future generations,” Cohen says. “Renewable energy is going to fuel America’s continued growth, and to be at the forefront of that is really exciting.”
Story by Kathryn Royster
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