Tall Towers

I read that the wind towers at the Papalote Creek Wind Farm near Taft, Texas are 396 feet tall (including propeller blade at its highest point). The Gulf Building (now renamed) in downtown Houston is 430 feet tall, only 34 feet higher than the Taft towers (about the distance from the 10 yard line to the 21) and for years was the tallest building in one of the nation’s largest cities. These wind turbines are almost as high in the air as the famous Houston skyscraper (now hidden away among many taller structures). Consider the fact that there are 196 of these wind turbine generators at this particular location, and the thought becomes almost overwhelming. While we went about our own business, a virtual city of sorts was born, consisting of almost 200 towers as tall as today’s 40-story office buildings. I call that “amazing.” Together, they generate enough electric power to supply 114,000 homes. Wow, that’s impressive. Meanwhile, the farmers at the base of these towers continue raising grain and cotton on land that is virtually undisturbed.
If we call each of these structures a “skyscraper,” then the question, “Which city in South Texas has the most skyscrapers?” would be answered with, “Taft, Texas!” Why shouldn’t a town named after a U.S.A. President have the most?
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Info about the Papalote Creek Wind Farm
See Dale Pogue’s June 2010 blog about the wind farms.