(Fortune Magazine) -- Texas may be fabled for its oil wells, but it also produces more wind power than any other state.
Leading the way is FPL Energy's 735-megawatt Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center, whose 421 turbines, spread over 69,000 acres in two counties, supply electricity to more than 180,000 homes, mostly in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. That makes it the largest wind farm in the world.
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The FPL Energy team: Wingate, Texas |
According to Eric Silagy, general manager for FPL Energy's Texas region, planning a wind facility is more complex than, say, a typical gas-fired plant. It requires not only engineers but also meteorologists, biologists, and land specialists who can persuade owners to lease their property.
So not everyone speaks the same language. FPL's solution: It integrates the team that will operate the wind farm with the one building it. Says Silagy: "We're all working from day one together on this."