Key Takeaways:
- “Wind is still growing, and we’re sort of sitting right on a solar boom. The market’s driving this.”
- Superpower tells the story of one man’s quest to transport wind energy from Oklahoma to Eastern markets
- Author dives deeper in the article’s Podcast “National Podcast of Texas” says shift to 80% renewables in Texas means new jobs for fossil fuel workers
Not only is “wind still growing” in Texas, but “we’re sort of sitting right on a solar boom,” said journalist Russell Gold, author of the new book, Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy, which takes a deep dive into the clean energy boom — both its success and its unmet potential — in the Lone Star State and throughout the wind corridor. “I think part of the reason is because the market’s driving this, and a conservative Texas majority would have to basically turn anti-market to really stop it.”
Speaking recently on the Texas Monthly “National Podcast of Texas,” Gold (who has been an energy reporter for The Wall Street Journal for nearly two decades, and wrote a definitive book about fracking, called The Boom) said a shift to 80% renewables means new employment opportunities for fossil fuel industry workers in the state. “Jobs would shift… To do renewable energy, you need people who can go out and find the land. You need the lawyers. You need people who can do these big power contracts. These are all skill sets that Houston has.”
Gold’s book tells the renewable energy story of Texas through the experience of infrastructure pioneer Michael Skelly. Skelly began his work in renewables in 2000 and helped create the country’s second largest wind power company. Skelly envisioned building a sprawling power grid (likened to “a giant extension cord”) to send wind electricity from the Oklahoma Panhandle, via Memphis, to the eastern power markets.
Gold’s book and his view on Skelly, along with some detailed insight on how Houston, the global capital of the oil and gas industry, is making a shift are all laid out in this exciting Texas Monthly article, as well as the associated Podcast “National Podcast of Texas.”
What We’re Reading: “Russell Gold: ‘Texas Has Become an Incredible Leader in Renewable Energy’”, published in Texas Monthly & covered on their podcast “National Podcast of Texas”