If you live in or travel through Colorado*, you're likely to see giant white wind turbines. Some people think they mar the landscape, but I think they're beautiful.
I've tried to take pictures of them, but haven't managed to capture the drama they instill. The photos on this page are from Free Photo Bank.
We have a lot of wind in Colorado, I wrote a previous post making jest of Colorado's windy weather. So it's a great thing that we can harvest some of that energy!
Xcel Energy provides our gas and electricity, and they put informational inserts in our bill. I was happy to read this last month:
"The American Wind Energy Association ranks Xcel Energy the nation's largest wind power provider for the sixth consecutive year, and this year we will purchase and produce enough wind power to meet the energy needs of approimately 450,000 households for a year."
I love that, because the largest fuel for electricity production in Colorado right now is coal, and that needs to be replaced with something cleaner.
Of course, we have a lot of sun here too (about 300 days of sunshine a year!) and solar energy is a booming industry. Xcel has a Solar Rewards program, which provides rebates and payments for renewable energy credits. I don't know much about it yet - but I will soon, as my hubby and I are about to start looking into getting solar for our home.
So it did surprise me to learn that twice as much of the power for generating electricity comes from wind (10%) compared to solar (.05%).
Have a bright, sunshiney Colorado day. And if the wind is blowing, and that starts to bug you, just remember it's making electricity for 450,000 households!
*They're in several other states, of course, but I'm a Colorado real estate agent, so that's what I'm writing about.
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I write posts on real estate issues and local events in the Denver metro area, especially those *communities between Denver and Boulder, as a public service. My hope is to give people an idea of the 'flavor' of our community, in case they're new or moving to the Denver area.
I am a residential real estate agent, happily helping folks buy a house or sell a house in the beautiful and friendly *suburbs northwest of Denver.
*Arvada, Broomfield, Lafayette, Louisville, Superior, Westminster; also Thornton, Golden, Wheat Ridge, Northglen, Lakewood
Read more about Arvada Colorado, a historic small town between Denver and Boulder.
Find Homes for Sale, no Matter Who Listed Them, at Dream House Hunting.
Copyright © 2011 Joetta Fort
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