Prospects for wind are good, not great

The weekly Question:   Do you think wind power will ever supply most of the nation's electric needs?  Yes 50%   No 50%

The potential for wind energy is vast, but forgive West Texans if they have an overblown (pun intended) view of what it could mean in the future. Among those, of course, would be Panhandle oilman T. Boone Pickens, who has a grand plan to use power generated by wind to free up natural gas for transportation needs, thus relieving the nation's dependency on foreign oil.

Of course, Pickens has a stake in the deal as he is developing a $10 billion wind farm.

And the vision is attractive to a lot of people throughout the Permian Basin because there are so many wind farms either operating or in the planning stages. Plus, wind is something we have in great supply.

Add to the picture the fact that state officials recently gave preliminary approval to more transmission capability to get West Texas wind energy to major Texas metropolitan areas and the enthusiasm ramps up even more.

All that said, we have to understand the realities of the entire nation and not be dazzled by the positive effects that have been and will be felt from a regional standpoint. Just this week, Republicans in the U.S. Senate scotched legislation that would extend tax credits for renewal energy sources. Without action, investors in wind and solar alternatives will lose financial incentives when the tax credit expires next year.

Also, consider the fact that there isn't that much wind to harness in some parts of the country. It's fine in wide-open spaces like West Texas and along most coastal areas. But the cost of getting the electricity to areas where wind turbines are not feasible could be prohibitive.

So maybe it would be better to take a somewhat less gusty look at wind energy and realize it for what it really is - a wonderful change of pace that is getting more affordable all the time. But to have visions that it will be the entire nation's major source of electricity at some point is probably overly optimistic.