CleanBeta

T. Boone Builds World’s Biggest Wind Farm

T. Boone Pickens, the legendary Texas oil tycoon who created the domestic energy behemoth Mesa Petroleum, has taken the renewable energy plunge and plans to build what would be the world’s largest wind farm near Amarillo, Texas.

Pickens earned his reputation for strong-arm corporate strategy by repeatedly chasing oil and gas companies larger than his own. His investment in renewable energy adds further momentum to the growing sense that the clean energy boom remains in its infancy. In addition, Pickens’ persona as a hard-headed realist suggests that economic forces rather than moral or environmental anxieties have become the driving force in renewable energy.

The site where Pickens wants to build his mega-wind farm is the best in Texas and among the best in the country.

Despite Pickens 10-gallon Texas wind farm, the United States remains woefully behind several other countries in terms of overall installed wind power capacity. in particular, Spain and Germany have taken a large lead over the United States in terms of overall installed wind power capacity. Despite ramped up U.S. investment in recent years, the U.S. has not been able to close the gap and currently appears unlikely to do for some time.