This is a special podcast series on current economic and culture issues faced by the state of Texas, its governments and its citizens. We will explore these issues with author Loren Steffy, through the prism of his book The Big Empty. The Big Empty set in 1999, is a tale about the sense of place and tells the story of a fictional company AzTech which builds a semi-conductor plant in the dying west Texas city of Conquistador. The attempt is beset by the clash of culture in bringing Silicon Valley tech entrepreneurs to rural Texas. The book also raises multiple economic issues facing Texas as we move towards the mid 21st century. Over this 5-part podcast series we will consider the following issues facing Texas today; including water, power, land investment, housing and the clash of cultures.
In Episode 2, we consider power in Texas. In the book, the massive power lines to the plant play a seminal role in the story. How do you bring the massive amounts of power needed to run a semi-conductor plant to rural west Texas. How is power generated? The Texas power grid has sustained three major failures over the past 12 years, does the Texas Legislature have the political will to ever fix it? What about alternative forms of power and why is Texas uniquely situated to exploit wind and solar power? Many companies and homeowners are now onsite power generation. What does this mean for the Texas power grid? For Texas to continue to bring high tech manufacturing facilities, the state will have to address these issues.
Purchase The Big Empty
