Mark Zuckerberg visits wind farm in Duncan to discuss renewable energy
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Zuckerberg described his experience at the wind farm and compared Oklahoma’s oil industry to these renewable energy practices. He focused on job sustainability and the potential for higher pay for workers in renewable energy fields.
“Oklahoma is oil country, and they’re still the third highest producer of natural gas of any state,” Zuckerberg posted to Facebook. “But as technology improves and costs get lower, renewable energy is catching up. Oklahoma is on track to become the nation’s second biggest producer of wind energy behind Texas. One of the managers told me wind is now 17 percent of Oklahoma’s energy.
For the workers I met, they said working in wind energy is a more sustainable lifestyle than oil and gas. Oil prices are volatile, and any oil well eventually taps oil, so you have to move from place to place, often working shifts a few weeks away from home at a time. By contrast, wind is renewable and doesn’t run out, so the jobs are more consistent and sustainable.”
“For people in the community, they also said wind is more sustainable. In recent years, Oklahoma has started having earthquakes — which they believe are from fracking — when they never had earthquakes before.”
Zuckerberg plans to conduct a live discussion Friday in Kansas.
“It’s clear that wind and renewables are the future — both economically and environmentally,” Zuckerberg wrote. “That’s why we power every new data center we’ve built at Facebook with 100 percent renewable energy, with a lot coming from wind. Places like Oklahoma are showing that what’s good for the environment can also be good for the economy.”