AS THEY SAY, THERE’S NOTHING BETWEEN AMARILLO AND THE NORTH POLE BUT A BARBED-WIRE FENCE. AND THE FENCE IS BLOWED-DOWN. A wind power boom in Texas, but where else? “For wind power advocates, Texas is a model for the rest of the country. But it also reveals what wind power can’t achieve. Overall, wind still represents less than 20 percent of the state’s generation capacity—a number that dips into the low single digits on calm, hot summer days.”

The trouble with wind power, like solar, is that it comes when it wants to, not when you want it.