Electricity generated from wind farms in West Texas makes CPS Energy the largest publicly owned purchaser of wind power in the state. We currently obtain over 500 megawatts (MW) of wind-generated electricity from the Cottonwood Creek (340 MW) and Desert Sky (160 MW) wind farms in West Texas -- enough to power 115,000 homes. However, more wind energy is on the way.

In early 2009, CPS Energy will receive electricity from the first wind farm constructed along the Texas coast. The Peñascal Wind Farm, located just south of Baffin Bay, will deliver up to 76.8 megawatts of electricity to Greater San Antonio – enough to power 17,500 homes. Later in 2009, CPS Energy will receive another 115.5 MW, enough to power an additional 25,000 homes, from the new Papalote Creek Wind Farm currently under construction east of Corpus Christi, Texas.

Wind energy is made available to CPS Energy customers through Windtricity®, a voluntary renewable-energy purchase option.

How is Electricity Generated by Wind?

Energy from the wind has been harnessed for thousands of years, making wind power one of the oldest forms of renewable energy. Early windmills were used for pumping water or grinding grain. With the onset of industrialization, people began adapting windmills into wind turbines used for generating electricity.

Wind farms are built in geographical areas that are conducive to consistent prevailing winds. For utility-sized applications, many wind turbines are built in close proximity to one another to form a "wind farm."  On these wind farms, giant wind turbines harness the kinetic energy in wind to create electricity.

The process of wind-produced electrical generation begins when the force of the wind pushes against the turbines’ blades, causing them to rotate, creating mechanical energy. The spinning blades, attached to a hub and a low-speed shaft, turn along with the blades. The rotating low-speed shaft is connected to a gearbox that connects to a high-speed shaft on the opposite side of the gearbox. This high-speed shaft connects to an electrical generator that converts the mechanical energy from the rotation of the blades into electric energy. Spinning between 11 and 20 times per minute, each turbine can generate a maximum 1.5 megawatts of electricity--enough to power more than 500 average residential homes.