Since Texas was the USA energy capitol of the 20th century, it is not surprising to see Texas lead the USA to more renewable fuel production uses. There are areas in West Texas that receive high amounts of sunshine and high wind activity. To harness these bountiful, inexpensive and renewable energy sources, the Texas State legislature passed legislation that created competitive renewable energy zones (crez) to research and develop wind and sun power. Just 5 of these zones will double the USA wind power capacity. Combine this with the solar power these CREZ could harness and transmit to Texas urban areas, energy self sufficiency becomes less a dream and more a reachable and attainable goal for the foreseeable future.
There are two major infrastructure improvements Texas will need now to make these goals a reality. These CREZs are in remote areas of Texas. This means the electric grid and transmission potential is as sparse as the population levels. A major upgrade in The Texas grid will have to be built to transmit this electricity from the wind mill farms to the urban areas that need it. The initial capital investment required to accomplish this will be a large sum of money. In the long run, it will be offset by the green jobs this undertaking will create and the savings renewable clean energy gives Texans.
With this transmission upgrade, Texas also needs to install the digital technology needed for a truly smart grid. Major appliances will use this technology to communicate with the smart grid to know when energy demands are lower to adjust their own energy use to smooth out demands on the grid. A smart grid with fewer peaks and valleys of demand is a more efficient and less costly grid.