I would have had respect for Loren Steffy's dissenting opinion on wind energy had he acknowledged any of the following: The externalities imposed by coal- and gas-powered plants cost us a boatload of money, too; factoring in those externalities makes wind power a heck of a lot more competitive; the intermittance of wind is a technical problem that can be solved or at least mitigated by various storage solutions. But he did none of that, nor did he offer any solutions of his own, so I'm not particularly impressed. At least T. Boone Pickens put forth a concrete proposal for people to study and pick apart.

On the plus side, reading Steffy's column alerted me to the fact that the Public Utility Commission cast a vote in favor of expanding the infrastructure for delivering wind energy in Texas.

A divided commission selected a plan that will eventually transmit 18,456 megawatts of wind power from West Texas and the Panhandle. That would be enough to power 3.7 million homes on a hot summer day, and more than 11 million in milder weather.

"It's a big bite," said Public Utility Commissioner Paul Hudson. "The transmission plan is nothing short of extraordinary in terms of scope and magnitude."

The commission expects the new lines will be in service within four to five years. As the lines begin transmitting power, residential consumers will pay higher rates that are expected to total about $4 per month when the $4.93 billion in construction is complete.

[...]

The plan, which is expected to be finalized later this month, represents a middle ground among five scenarios ranging from $3 billion to $6.4 billion.

The Legislature in 2005 directed the PUC to select the most productive wind zones and devise a plan to move power from those zones to populated areas.

[...]

The wind industry is supported by rural lawmakers for the jobs and growth it will bring, and by urban legislators who say that wind will reduce pollution and global warming.

"This puts us on the path toward diversification of our energy sources so that by 2015 we should be reliant on wind for 25 percent," said Rep. Mike Villarreal, D-San Antonio.

Critics said that because the wind blows less in the summer when demand is highest, additional natural gas and coal-fired plants will need to be built to meet peak demand.

Wind generators had supported even higher levels of transmission, but were pleased by Thursday's vote.

"With the eyes of the nation watching Texas, we have developed a process that will serve as a model for the country as we look to diversify our energy fuel mix," said Paul Sadler, executive director of The Wind Coalition, in a statement.

Finally, on a related note, Glenn Smith adds his critique of the Pickens Plan.