Energy Proposal

Energy Proposal for the Metropolitan
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Energy Proposal for the Metropolitan Area
As the metropolitan area of McAllen, Texas continues to grow at a 4.8% annually, the necessity of renewable energy becomes more of a possibility to provide energy for the people this area ("Mcallen, Texas Population", 2014).. Geographically we are close to the Rio Grande River and about 45 miles from the Gulf of Mexico shoreline at South Padre Island. The possibility of acquiring technology to harvest energy from these areas is good and producing enough energy without exhausting our fossil fuels in the area is possible. I propose an energy plan which can help our community continue to grow and run efficiently through the energy production from a combination of hydroelectric, wind and solar power.
It takes three thousand megawatts to power the metropolitan area and our current usage of electricity is being powered by the use of oil and natural gas. However, there has been a push in the state of Texas to explore and begin the use of renewable resources. Many areas in the state have begun “wind farms” where areas of high winds are suitable for wind turbines to harvest the wind power and produce energy for the area. Because of our low lying mostly flat area, solar power would also be a reasonable technology to help produce the amounts of energy needed to sustain the metropolitan area. One trend, which seems to be catching on in the city, is the use of solar panels installed on the roofs of houses. Because of our geographical location by the Rio Grande River, hydroelectric power can also be a good alternative energy source and the water is flowing from the water sheds up river where dams are already an established feature. The initial first year budget that has been granted is ten billion dollars and for every year it is in operation, a one billion dollar budget has been allowed. As mentioned before, our geographical location gives us the opportunity to implement at least three of these renewable resource producers to maximize the output of energy and possibly provide energy for our entire metropolitan area without the necessity of a coal burning plant or a natural gas plant. Although natural gas is found in mass quantities in our chaparral area, the fossil fuel will only last for so long. As long as the Rio Grande River continues to flow out of Colorado and into the Gulf of Mexico, harvesting hydroelectric power is possible. As long as the winds keep blowing at twenty to thirty miles per hour off of the Gulf of Mexico into our shores, harvesting Wind power is possible. As long as the sun keeps shining, harvesting solar power is possible. Each one of these renewable energy possibilities has an output of about one thousand megawatts in power. If we implement all three of them, we will have enough energy for the metropolitan area. The one billion dollar budget for every following year will create a buffer since the operation of all three only requires about 15.6 million dollars in annual cost. The remaining bulk of the budget can be used for repairs and servicing if needed by any of the harvesting operators. Figure : Initial cost to implement
Figure : Comparison of annual cost of operation vs. annual budget

Advantages and Disadvantages Along with the positive comes the negative. However, there is no negative impact on the implantation of these renewable resources in the area. The Texas coast is becoming well known for its wind farms which seem to be working well on the some 15 miles off of the coast. About eighty-four percent of Texas land is privately owned ("2009 Texas Land Trends Study ", 2013)., one disadvantage of having a wind farm would be the amount of property the turbine may take when being built on a piece of land. This is especially a concern since the majority of the turbines would be placed on private land, most likely farm land. Farm land may be inaccessible during the construction of a wind farm. However, once the turbine is in place, the farmer may continue to plant and harvest around the turbine with an added pay from the lease of the turbine on the property. Another concern with the community is the migration of birds which normally take the route in which the turbines may be placed. Many people and organizations may become concerned with the harm which may be caused by propellers to the bird populations. This has not seemed to be a problem further up the coast line where turbines are already in place. Placement of these massive turbines will create many jobs in the area which are in great need. There does not seem to be much of a disadvantage except for the cost of implementation for the solar panels. There may be times where damage to the solar panels may be a risk, especially during the hurricane season. However, our climate, most of the year, consists of sunny and hot days. So, why not take advantage of those hot days and harvest the amount of sun that is baking down and turn it into energy for our homes or community. One other disadvantage may come when finding an area large enough which is not a farm property to lay out rows and rows or solar panels to provide for the metropolitan area’s need of electricity. When the hydroelectric power comes into play, one disadvantage may be during the droughts that the Rio Grande Valley seems to suffer from time to time. Hydroelectric power is produced through the strength of water to turn the turbines, and if there is no current to produce power, how will that output be made. The advantage is that there are three watersheds which hold our water supply, so the water accumulates as it comes downriver.
Population growth As the population grows in this metropolitan strip of the Rio Grande Valley, collaboration between the three counties, which make up the metro area, can be made to make additional implementation of the turbines and solar paneling to continue to provide for the people of the area. The metro area of McAllen, Texas is one of the four metro hubs in The Valley which connects the metro strip with its people. As the population of the area grows, the amount of taxes and revenue brought into the area will grow as well. This will help provide funds for new growth in the energy harvesters as well.

Renewable resources would be a great fit for our growing metropolitan area. We are geographically in a great location to implement programs such as these where our environment will be minimally affected as opposed to the programs currently in place which use more fossil fuels to power our people and metropolitan area. Not only will it create jobs in our area, it will also help conserve our environment and habitats in the area.

References:
2009 Texas Land Trends Study . (2013). Retrieved from http://www.farmland.org/resources/reports/TXLand.asp
McAllen, Texas Population. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.mcallen.org/Business-Community/Population

References: 2009 Texas Land Trends Study . (2013). Retrieved from http://www.farmland.org/resources/reports/TXLand.asp McAllen, Texas Population. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.mcallen.org/Business-Community/Population