, another part of the state that stood to benefit from wind companies and the money they bring local governments and schools. Perry also supported legislation that directed state regulators to build ratepayer-funded transmission lines to carry wind energy from wide open West Texas to more populated parts of Texas.: By the beginning of 2021, wind and solar provided about a quarter of electricity production in Texas, nearly 80 times their share two decades earlier.
“They’re actually very good projects for rural communities, especially in West Texas,” Looney said. “That’s because we have a lot of both wind and sun, a lot of relatively flat terrain very willing landowners.” “The fact is that renewables have greatly benefited this state,” Darby said, but he acknowledged other members of his party don’t agree.
The $4.2 million that Lyford CISD collected from the wind farms during the 2021-22 school year accounted for more than 20 percent of the district’s budget, according to school budget documents. Brown said that the additional revenue helped pay for a new wing at the elementary school, repairs to aging buildings and a drainage system for the flood-prone athletic fields.
County Judge Aurelio Guerra said wind revenue was crucial to offsetting the financial impact of the closure of a prison last year. The policies would use state funds and the money from an expected increase in most Texans’ electricity costs to back the construction of new gas-fueled power plants and keep them operating into the future.