Green Energy - Windmill farms of West Texas

    I felt a hint of Don Quixote on this adventure. While I knew my "adversary", I had no idea how strong the hidden challenges would be. My assumptions of the assignment going in, were correct, but I still discovered aspects not anticipated at the beginning.  There is a reason that the West Texas / Panhandle area is home to these monstrous sized windmill farms. FAST WIND. Lots of it, too. I have been on plenty of harsh locations, but the wind here on a normal day was so strong, I could barely hold a camera up to my eye. Even my tripod needed to be sandbagged in order to stabilize the camera. Never mind the fact that these locations were all in the middle of an area known world-wide for its Rattlesnake population!

    At the end of the day, I still had my images, and my assignment was completed as directed. The Boy Scout motto of always being prepared holds true just as much for professional photographers as it does for a pack of 11 year old boys spending the weekend in the woods. You never know what curve ball will come your way, even if it is obvious from the start what challenges lie ahead. I had some of the best in this business teach me things that a school never would. Those tid-bits of info, no matter how small, have made me a much better, and prepared professional.

    Some fun facts I learned about these windmills may surprise you (or maybe not):

• Texas produces more wind power than any other state in the country (almost 10% of our electricity produced in Texas is from wind / windmills)
• Texas has been researching wind power since the early 1970's, long before renewable energy  was a hot topic.
• The blades can reach up to 50 meters in length, or approximately half of a football field each!

Jason

jasonjones-photo.com