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January 14th, 2008
Two new wind farms in West Texas will soon provide a lot of additional power to the Austin area. One of them is online now and the other should be up and running by the end of the year. Two new wind farms in West Texas will soon provide a lot of additional power to the Austin area. One of them is on-line now, the other should be up and running by the end of the year. People who want to use the renewable power can participate in Austin Energy's GreenChoice program.It may cost a little more in the beginning but it could save you plenty in years to come. Natalie Marquis didn't mind paying a little more each month in her utility bill to become a green choice subscriber back 2000. "I kind of had to vote with my conscious and say ‘yes it was worth it,’ because what I really wanted to do is support renewable energy," she said. Besides the environmental reasons, there are also some big economic advantages to GreenChoice power. When you sign up you get to keep that rate for anywhere from 10 to 15 years. Now Marquis’ bill is considerably cheaper than most of her neighbors "Most Austinites are just ready to go for it and they know in a year their rates are going to be locked in and their energy rates are going to continue to rise so they will be in a good position," she said. For those people wanting to subscribe today it will cost the average homeowner about 20 dollars extra a month Austin Energy spokesperson Ed Clark said we are lucky to get the additional resources "We have consistently been trying to buy additional wind power but it's been tough. The worldwide demand is outstripping the productions capabilities," he said. Businesses are actually the biggest users of GreenChoice energy. The largest company in Central Texas participating is AMD. Craig Garcia, a spokesperson for the company said it's easier to plan for the future when you know your energy costs are going to stay relatively the same for years to come "We have been part of the GreenChoice program since 2000 we believe in green energy and anything that helps stimulate the demand for it we want to be part of," said Garcia. By the end of 2008 about 11 percent of the power sold by Austin Energy will be coming from renewable sources.
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