{"id":5565,"date":"2013-12-11T20:21:26","date_gmt":"2013-12-11T20:21:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/?p=5565"},"modified":"2026-03-14T14:25:27","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T18:25:27","slug":"google-microsoft-and-bbva-bank-commit-to-texas-wind-because-it-makes-good-business-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2013\/12\/11\/google-microsoft-and-bbva-bank-commit-to-texas-wind-because-it-makes-good-business-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Google, Microsoft and BBVA Compass Commit to Texas Wind Because It Makes Good Business Sense"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><i>This commentary originally appeared on our\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/texascleanairmatters\/2013\/12\/11\/google-microsoft-and-bbva-bank-commit-to-texas-wind-because-it-makes-good-business-sense\/\">Texas Clean Air Matters<\/a>\u00a0blog.\u00a0\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n<p>As we <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/energyexchange\/2013\/11\/25\/fueling-cities-with-west-texas-wind-as-crez-comes-online\/\">highlighted<\/a> a few weeks back, Texas is on a new path to accelerating its clean, renewable energy economy.\u00a0 The opening of the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.earthtechling.com\/2013\/08\/in-texas-big-wind-jumps-on-new-transmission\/\">Competitive Renewable Energy Zones<\/a> (CREZ) now enables more West and Panhandle wind turbines to fuel the state\u2019s major metropolises, and the completion of the project couldn\u2019t come soon enough.<\/p>\n<p>A number of companies are looking to grow and invest in Texas, thanks to its plentiful, clean wind power. \u00a0Google, Microsoft and BBVA Compass are leading the charge and signing long-term agreements to purchase Texas wind energy.\u00a0 These contracts lock in considerable revenue for the state and guarantee Texas\u2019 ranking as the number one wind-producing state in the nation. \u00a0In fact, West Texas wind has outpaced the growth of coal, natural gas and all other fuel sources that supply the grid, according to a <a href=\"http:\/\/fuelfix.com\/blog\/2013\/12\/03\/renewable-energy-leads-growth-for-texas-electric-grid\/\">recent report<\/a> by the U.S. Energy Information Administration.<\/p>\n<p>In September, Google added to its growing stock of renewable energy by <a href=\"http:\/\/googlegreenblog.blogspot.com\/2013\/09\/another-windy-day-in-texas-new-power.html?spref=tw\">purchasing<\/a> the entire output of a 240-megawatt wind farm (enough energy to power <a href=\"http:\/\/www.windenergyamerica.com\/faqs.html\">84,000 homes<\/a>) outside Amarillo to power its Oklahoma data center. \u00a0Late in November, Microsoft <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.msdn.com\/b\/microsoft-green\/archive\/2013\/11\/04\/microsoft-signing-long-term-deal-to-buy-wind-energy-in-texas.aspx\">signed<\/a> a 20-year contract to purchase all of the energy from a 110-megawatt wind farm outside Fort Worth to power its San Antonio data center. \u00a0And BBVA Compass recently signed a 10-year agreement with Choice! Energy Services, a Houston-based retail energy broker, to power its Texas branches exclusively with wind and solar energy.<!--more--><!--more--><\/p>\n<p>So what\u2019s attracting these companies to Texas wind energy?<\/p>\n<p>With the risks and realities of climate change becoming <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/texascleanairmatters\/2013\/10\/22\/texas-congressman-denies-climate-change-while-texans-seek-more-action-on-global-warming\/\">increasingly clear<\/a>, more and more companies are moving to reduce or eliminate their carbon footprint by seeking cheap, water-free, carbon-free renewable energy.<\/p>\n<p>There is an economic upside as well.\u00a0 These long-term renewable energy contracts are popular because they provide absolute certainty about the price a company will pay for electricity for decades to come. \u00a0Unlike electricity purchased from the utility, the price will not go up if, say, natural gas prices increase in the future. \u00a0This makes the contracts an attractive option for businesses and the environment.<\/p>\n<p>EDF applauds these companies\u2019 efforts to make the switch to clean energy.\u00a0 \u00a0Their bulk purchase of homegrown, renewable electricity expands Texas\u2019 wind industry, reduces harmful pollution and grows the state\u2019s economy. \u00a0Most importantly, it gets all of us a little closer to a clean energy economy that protects the climate and reduces our dependence on fossil fuels. \u00a0It\u2019s a clear win for everyone.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This commentary originally appeared on our\u00a0Texas Clean Air Matters\u00a0blog.\u00a0\u00a0 As we highlighted a few weeks back, Texas is on a new path to accelerating its clean, renewable energy economy.\u00a0 The opening of the Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) now enables more West and Panhandle wind turbines to fuel the state\u2019s major metropolises, and the completion &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6408,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[177,181],"tags":[53041,240],"coauthors":[114213],"class_list":["post-5565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-renewable-energy","category-texas","tag-crez","tag-google"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - 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