Google has announced substantial equity investment in the 161MW Spinning Spur wind farm in Oldham County, Texas. This investment is the first that Google has made in Texas renewable energy but follows a long history of energy investments, especially in wind. The Spinning Spur project joins ten other renewable energy projects in Google’s portfolio, which together are capable of producing up to 2GW of power.
Jeff Clark, Executive Director of The Wind Coalition applauded Google’s decision to invest in Texas wind saying, “Google has been a leader in revolutionizing technologies to improve the products and industries that touch people’s lives. In the field of energy Google has led by example, seeking out ways to improve energy efficiency and by harnessing renewable power to meet their energy needs while reducing their environmental impact.”
“This first investment in Texas follows Google’s incredible track record of wind energy investments across the nation. Google knows that wind is a mainstream, reliable, and affordable source of energy and we welcome their investment and commitment here,” said Clark. “This investment is a testament to the incredible wind energy resources found in Texas and the visionary state policies that have made Texas the nation’s wind power leader.”
The Spinning Spur project is located roughly 35 miles from Amarillo and was developed by EDF Renewable Energy, a member of The Wind Coalition. EDF Renewable Energy is an integrated energy company active in all areas of the energy market including generation, transmission, distribution, energy supply, and trading. The project will utilize 70 Siemens 2.3MW turbines. The electricity produced has been contracted to SPS, a utility that primarily serves Texas and New Mexico. Spinning Spur is expected to produce enough energy to power over 60,000 average US homes.
