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NIRE will operate a for-profit business component that will design, construct and operate research wind farms, selling the power generated in the commercial marketplace to fund a non-profit research center.
Texas Tech, industry and research partners are poised to power up their first of several planned renewable energy test facilities to help resolve key scientific and technology issues facing the wind power and broader clean energy industries.
The first wind turbines will be placed at Reese Technology Center in Lubbock, where a groundbreaking for the research farm is currently being planned and will be announced in the coming weeks.
The National Institute for Renewable Energy (NIRE), a public-private partnership formed earlier this year by the Innovate Texas Foundation with collaborative support from Texas Tech, will design, construct and operate the research wind farm and provide research access to Texas Tech and the National Wind Resource Center (NWRC), a non-profit research center. As strategic research partners to Texas Tech, South Plains Electric Co-Op in coordination with Golden Spread Electric will purchase the power generated through this effort.
Established by Texas Tech, the NWRC will centralize the research, with support from many of the nation’s leading research universities, each utilizing its unique areas of expertise within the renewable energy sector.
The initial research goals of the NWRC are to tackle the three main challenges faced nationally in the wind power industry: enhancing the performance and reliability of wind power, decreasing the cost of wind power and addressing power storage issues.
“There are several new turbine technologies we plan to deploy at the Reese Technology Center,” said David L. Miller, chairman of the NIRE Board of Directors. “We are also currently evaluating several additional sites for the deployment of a scalable energy storage solution.”
In July the Texas Emerging Technology Fund awarded $8.4 million to Texas Tech to support the launch of NIRE and NWRC. Additionally, national organizations supporting NIRE include the American Wind Energy Association, The Wind Alliance and The Wind Coalition. They will be joined by as many as 30 private-sector firms with large investments in renewable energy projects.
The Innovate Texas Foundation is a non-profit institution that serves as a catalyst for collaboration and transactions among universities, industry, investors and government enabling them to engage with the global economy more efficiently and effectively.
The Reese Technology Center is a regional world-class, high technology research, educational training, and business community by generating capital and intellectual wealth. Reese Technology Center consists of a main campus centered in education, research, engineering and technology, and an airfield comprised of three runways.
September 8th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
There are many wind generator farms that are close to Tech and the Lubbock area, wouldnt it be a good idea to look into the possibilitys of having a plant here in Lubbock to produce these wind generators? Why not use the facilitys at Reese Center to train a workforce to make these wind generators and see about some local backing to do so, Wind Generators are the wave of the future and will help us to to not be dependent on imported oil that threatens our national security. Currently most if not all wind generators are made in China, people complain about no jobs, well heres the chance to put your money where your mouth is, Tech and Hance.
September 8th, 2010 at 5:40 pm
I definitely concur with Mr. Mount. In the Big Country, GE and Mitsubishi are the biggest suppliers of wind energy and turbines. There is a holding facility on the East side of Lubbock off of MLK BLVD. These areas already have substantial landspace rented/leased/owned to provide the significant storage needed for such endeavor, and additionally supply the turbines and technology locally, rather than having them shipped in from outside sources. If Wind Energy is a viable resource, research should be done in the manufacturing of the products as well, to develop and further the research. Understandably, only 8 million some dollars are granted to TTU for this research, however, given the proper documentation, American companies would sign on to the research proposal and provide funds to increase the process also. Just a thought. Just an alumnus’ perspective.
September 8th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
There are big consumers of electric power scattered over the S. Plains. There has been an influx of large dairies in the past 10 years that require huge amounts of electricity. Then there is all the irrigation wells and center pivots. Why not place wind generators at or neat the point of consumption and feed excess power generated back to the utility lines that are already in place? There would be no need for large transmission lines to carry electricity from distant wind farms. I understand that utility companies are required to credit a consumer for the electricity fed back through the meter (meter runs backwards). To me this would be receiving the retail price for electricity generated rather than the wholesale price paid by utility companies to the wind farms. Many of the dairymen that have moved into the area are from Holland and are very familiar with wind generators and are interested in using them, but would have a hard time financing and maintaining them. Any thoughts?
September 9th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Here’s another key issue to resolve…the ecological and aesthetic desecration of our once beautiful natural environment. I used to enjoy the drive from Dallas to Lubbock, especially in Dickens County where Highway 114 drops through the Caprock. Now what do we have, gigantic wind farms stretched across the edge of the Caprock with their associated transmission lines along the highway. There are even proposals to run these power lines through Palo Duro Canyon. This is ugly nonsense that sadly cannot be stopped all for a insignificant smidgen of renewable engergy.
September 12th, 2010 at 2:08 pm
Mr Anderson, please do some research on the “insignificant smidgen” comment. I have professional knowledge of these wind generators providing over 2/3 of the required energy for a manufacturing and distribution center in Calif. Also, these windmills have been successfully providing tremendous amounts of energy to the residents and commercial applications to the Palm Valley area near Palm Springs Ca.
Understandably the sight of all these windmills can be seen as unsightly. I see them as progress to some reduction of foreign reliance on oil, etc., pollution free. The concern about being unsightly lines can be reduced by burying them.
AND….Texas Tech is a great resource to help with developments to address the efficiency and viability of these necessary tools of energy for the plains area with the seemingly unstoppable wind.
September 13th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
Note that Alstom Power Inc. recently announced that they will open a new manufacturing facility in West Texas. (Amarillo) I suspect others will be making similiar announcement as Tech becomes the “hub” for this type of research and development work.