Capricorn Ridge Wind Farm

This project will reduce Texas’s reliance on fossil fuels by producing renewable wind energy. The wind farm will also boost the local economy with jobs and land lease payments, while maintaining the surrounding agricultural land.

Texas produces more electricity than any other state in the USA. In fact, the Lone Star State generates almost twice as much electricity as Florida, which is the second-largest producer of electricity in the country. While some of the electricity produced in Texas comes from clean sources, the vast majority (69%) comes from coal, natural gas, and other fossil fuels. When these fossil fuels are burned to generate power, they create carbon dioxide emissions which become trapped in the atmosphere and exacerbate global warming. 

Furthermore, the excavation of these fossil fuels, and the construction of related infrastructure can destroy ecosystems, pollute water, and displace whole communities. Increasing wind-generated electricity will reduce these negative impacts and provide clean energy to heat and light homes and businesses, and to power a huge number of other appliances.

The Capricorn Ridge project is located within the abundant open lands of West Texas. Covering an area of approximately 11,000 acres, the wind farm will reduce reliance on traditional fossil fuel energy sources. Seventy-five wind turbines will supply wind-generated electricity to the Lower Colorado River Authority, thus reducing the fossil fuel use in the region. 

This project employs local staff and contributes to the tax base of the Coke and Sterling counties.  Moreover, extra economic stimulus will be provided by lease payments made to land owners. Surrounding land continues to be used for agriculture, benefiting farmers and ecosystems.