Turbines similar to these stand on a mountainous area of Upton and Nolan counties in West Texas. Existing transmission lines carry the power they produce to Austin.

Biogas projects use a pipe system to collect methane gas from the landfills underneath. The gas is then used to produce clean-burning electric power.

Green-e Energy certifies that Austin Energy’s GreenChoice Program meets the minimum environmental and consumer protection standards established by the non-profit Center for Resource Solutions.

GreenChoice^®—Energy Sources

GreenChoice subscriptions of renewable energy are equal to the amount of energy supplying 80,000 Austin homes each year.

Wind
Austin Energy currently purchases energy from six wind farms in West Texas.

Each wind farm consists of multiple large wind turbines. Each turbine stands over 200 feet tall, and is powered by three blades that are 100 feet or more in length.

Austin Energy purchases renewable energy from the following wind farms:

Biogas
Micro-organisms eating the decaying garbage in landfills produce methane gas for many years, even after the landfill closes. Federal law requires every landfill to prevent the highly explosive and toxic gas from escaping into the air. Typically, the gas is collected and “flared” or burned.

A better use of that natural resource is to pipe it to an onsite generator that converts it into electricity.

The Tessman Landfill Biogas Project included onsite generation equipment to convert the gas to electricity for sale to Austin Energy’s GreenChoice program.

Currently, biogas energy is included in Austin Energy's goal of 35% renewable energy by 2020. However, biogas is not part of the GreenChoice supply.