*Image courtesy of Unsplash.
Just east of Midland, TX, a new wind project called Bearkat 1 has recently completed construction. The massive new wind turbines provide a stark contrast to the oil wells that make up much of the West Texas skyline.
Bearkat is one of the first U.S. wind development projects owned by the Danish organization Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and 3Degrees committed to a long-term renewable energy certificate (REC) off-take from this new project.
The full development will be comprised of 104 Vestas V126-3.45 MW wind turbines, spanning nearly 30,000 acres and will generate close to 360 MW of clean energy. The scale of this project is so large that it was developed in two separate phases.
- Bearkat 1: 57 turbines that will generate 197.6 MW of wind energy
- Bearkat 2: Began development immediately after the first phase was up and running and has a lifetime capacity of 162.1 MW. This project consists of 47 turbines, resulting in a total of 104 wind turbines between the two projects.
Tri Global Energy (TGE), the developer of the Bearkat project, has a unique business model that engages landowners at a very intimate level and offers them unique benefits. Instead of paying upfront costs for developing a new wind project on landowners’ property, TGE provides a guarantee for electricity royalties for the next 50 years, providing the landowners with equity in the wind farm developed on their property. Because of the sheer size of Bearkat, 55 different landowners will be able to take advantage of this incentive for decades to come.
PROJECT TYPE: Wind Power
PROJECT LOCATION: Glasscock County, TX
COMPLETION DATE: January 2018
GENERATION CAPACITY: 196.7 MW
REC CERTIFICATION: Green-e® Energy eligible
EGRID REGION: ERCOT
RELATED SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS):
This project contributes directly to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations:
SDG 7 – Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. The renewable energy generated from the project is added to the local power grid.
SDG 8 – Promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all.
SDG 13 – Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts. Wind energy production reduces the reliance on fossil fuels, which are a known emitter of GHG emissions.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an urgent call for action by countries in global partnership to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.
Project photo
3Degrees’ Multiple Mix Product is Green-e Energy® certified and meets the environmental and consumer protection standards set forth by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions.
Green-e Energy® certified RECs are independently audited to ensure that only one customer claims credit for each REC and the MWh of renewable electricity generation it represents. Learn more at green-e.org.
