A LETTER FROM OUR PRESIDENT
In 1998 when developing our first utility scale wind project in Texas, the wind industry standard was bull dozing sensitive range land that would take generations to heal, above ground electric collection lines that were a nuisance to landowners and lattice towers attracting birds. By 2001, Cielo had developed over half the new projects built in the United States and changed the standard to tube towers, all underground collection lines and landowner friendly road plans. Similarly, we continue to lead the industry, not in just the environmental design of our projects, but the attention to detail in the design, construction, procurement and operations of our wind projects.
Being an independent company focused solely on the wind power industry, we have the freedom and the wind know-how to structure our project developments to maximize the positive impacts on the neighboring communities. Each project we develop takes our specialized background to direct contracting and employment opportunities at talented and hard working local residents and business. The result is better executed projects using the local communities that will be our neighbors for decades to come.
“Cielo’s Project will bring about a new era in wind production!”
–Judge Don Allred, County Judge, Oldham County, Texas US (April 2013)
This combined approach of an uncompromising commitment to quality, to the environment and to the communities our projects reside is trademarked the “Wind Ranch®”. These Wind Ranch® principles of Cielo find their way into land leases (committing to terms such as double ditching for underground cables to protect top soil), into local tax agreements (committing to local job creation) and into permits (voluntarily committing to dark skies turbine lighting systems.) This is the right way to build and operate wind power developments, the Cielo way!
Why work with us?
1. We are scientists, engineers, business people, and, well, nerds through and through.
- We’re glad to talk to you and anyone on your team about the state-of-the-art decisions we make at the substation to deliver a level of reliability and functionality that’s the difference between 99% uptime vs 99.99%.
- We also understand the value of our role as local experts in massive wind farm projects. We’re glad to show our partners the value of our ability to find land that is 1% windier, or source parts and labor that is 1% less expensive, and deliver a final product that Cielo has added value to.
- We’re now the largest in the Southwest of the US. We’ve been at this so long that we’re able to engineer the risk out of projects. No other “experts” can say the same or, if they do, they don’t have the track record to back it up.
2. We’re people who care about more than the bottom line.
- We believe it is our job to advocate for the Land, landowner, community and we always spend money speculatively on “goodwill” from having local taco trucks at the job site to hiring entirely local teams for construction and development.
- We’ve set the standard for land management on wind projects with what we call the Wind Ranch® and have, literally, changed the landscape and industry for the better.
- Over the last 25 years, we’ve provided over $500,000 in financial aid to over 300 South Texas seniors.
Renewably yours,
Walter Hornaday, President and CEO of Cielo Wind, LLC.
