While driving through West Texas last week between Lubbock and Abilene, it was obvious that the skyline is rapidly changing because of the increased use of wind turbines. In an article on the nationals news recently, it was reported that Texas has more operating wind turbines that any State in the Union; some 25K+ as compared to California’s 12K+ of operating wind turbines. What you do not see in this photo is the increased amount of large power lines strung across the country side and the billboards advertising for wind power related jobs in the region. Renewable energy is the current buzzword because it generates a lot of money for the landowner, supposedly cheaper energy, lots of jobs in the rural West and obviously, tax incentives for the turbine owners. Some of the little towns we went through were in tough shape economically and even with the increase in oil drilling activity so I will assume that these new jobs were more than welcome. I could still see the farms and ranches, along with the cattle and horses but now they sit among the wind turbines.