The US/Mexico Border region is leading the way in renewable energy in North America, with some of the largest wind and solar energy implementation and usage. Wind power is the primary source of renewable energy in Texas, while Mexico is one of the largest solar energy producers in Latin America.

Texas currently has the world’s largest wind farm in the world, the Roscoe Wind Farm,, which currently has 627  turbines that can supply enough electricity to power over 250,000 homes per year.  The wind farm itself is larger than Manhattan, and is west of Fort Worth.  Mexico is catching up, as they are currently working with one of the largest wind turbine manufacturers, Gamesa, to build a new wind farm in Baja California.

Mexico is also supplying power to Los Angeles, in the form of geothermal power, as well as supplying energy to Belize.

Arizona is leading solar development in the U.S, followed closely by New Mexico.  Both are utilizing solar power, as well as solar panel manufacturing.

Wind Power

Wind power is quickly becoming one of the fastest-growing forms of renewable energy.  As you travel along I-10 near Ft. Stockton, the sight of hundreds of large wind turbines stretch along the horizon, some blades slowly moving, others more rapidly spinning.  Wind power currently supplies only 2% of electricity in the United States, but it is quickly growing, as more states are adopting policies that require certain percentages of energy production to come from renewable resources.  Even so, the United States is the world leader in wind power.

Wind power is considered one of the cleanest forms of renewable energy, as it requires the wind, a wind turbine, and connection to a utility grid to generate electricity.  On average, commercial wind turbines produce about 1.5 Megawatts (MW) of energy, which can supply electricity to over 300 homes per year.  The largest wind farm in the world currently is the Roscoe Wind Farm, and is located west of Fort Worth, Texas. This wind farm has over 627 turbines, which can produce 781.5 MW of energy, which can supply electricity to more than 250,000 average homes per year.

Solar Power

Less than 0.1% of electricity generation in the U.S is from solar energy, but it has been growing steadily, especially with federal and state incentives to increase solar energy output to 10-15% of the nation’s energy by 2030.  Most solar energy is from large-scale solar farms, such as Nevada Solar One, which provides power to Boulder City, Nevada, as well as Las Vegas.

Solar power is generated in two primary forms, the most commonly seen is solar panels, and with concentrating solar power, which uses lenses or mirrors to focus sunlight onto solar panels to heat water, which then generates steam, which is used to run electrical turbines.

How much of an impact does renewable energy have on the economy?

Wind energy has produced 10,000 jobs in Texas, with an estimated $1.6 billion in additional state revenue with further renewable energy development, as well as additional income to ranchers and farmers who lease out their land for turbines.

The U.S. wind industry employs over 85,000 workers, while the solar industry has incentives up to $35.4 million in funding from the Department of Energy for development of new solar projects