Page 252 - BWA FEB 2013

252 | Business World Magazine | February 2013
sion they don’t see eye-to-eye with the gov-
ernment on some issues, generally they’ve
earned a lot of respect and goodwill with
legislators at different levels, Hadden says.
Typically, they will provide input to legisla-
tive and testimonial bodies when it comes to
key issues.
THE WINDS OF CHANGE
Texas has been a “real hotspot” for an energy
switch for quite some time, and SEED Co-
alition feels like they’re on the edge of a ma-
jor transition. Previously, the state has been
very dependent on coal, oil and gas, but now
leans more towards sustainable energy, Had-
den says. “Right now wind power is our huge
success story.” Originally, the state’s goal was
to see 10,000 megawatts of wind energy in
place by the year 2025. Fortunately, that goal
was met and exceeded well-ahead of that
timeframe. Today, as much as 25 percent of
the ERCOT grid energy comes from wind,
according to Hadden. “Our west Texas wind
comes in at night and we also now have
coastal wind that comes in during the day.
This is a large part of our energy now.”
“I think wind energy is going to con-
tinue to increase. We’ve been able to get the
transmission in place, and it’s created a lot of
jobs. For a rancher, for example, it’s a second
income and they can still run their ranch.”
Solar may be the next huge success sto-
ry, Hadden adds, since panels are becoming
much more affordable.
Those successes don’t come without
challenges, however. Utility companies have
Wind turbine blades being transported to West Texas