Humans of Cleantech: Raina Tillman Hornaday

“My family homesteaded in New Mexico in 1906. They came in a covered wagon. They stopped in Quay County and built dugouts just like they sound – holes in the ground.”

“THEY DUG A HOLE, PUT A ROOF ON IT, AND LIVED THERE. THEY WERE STILL MILES FROM WATER, HAULING EVERY DROP OF WATER FOR MILES FOR YEARS. I GIVE THEM CREDIT FOR JUST THE PURE GRIT OF SURVIVAL.

“I had a very organic, wholesome upbringing. My dad is a dryland wheat farmer. Fresh wheat was part of our culture. We would grind it for flour. We'd jump off the barn roof – which is probably super dangerous – into the wheat trucks.

“We didn't go to the grocery store – and we didn't go out to eat ever. We had our own chickens. My brother and I showed sheep and pigs and horses. We always had a milk cow. When I opened the fridge half of it would be cream. I didn't taste pasteurized milk untiI I was eight years old.

“My granny always had a big garden. We would make jelly from wild plums and prickly pear cactus. 

“I GRADUATED WITH 12 PEOPLE. THE SCHOOLS WE WENT TO WERE MADE OUT OF ROCK MINED FROM OUR RANCH. 

“My dad was director of the Eastern Plains Council of Governments. He made an agreement with the state of New Mexico to monitor the wind on top of the Caprock. So he put up a little MET tower back in the early 90s. And we would go pull the chip and mail it to California. The data showed what we all knew already: It's incredibly windy.

“So I took that data to an event here in Texas called the Renewable Energy Roundup. I met some developers and said, ‘Here's a bunch of wind data’ – which as a developer, that's a dream. That became the first utility-scale project in New Mexico.

“WHEN THE INDUSTRY FIRST TOOK OFF, PEOPLE THOUGHT IT WAS A SCAM: WHY WOULD YOU PAY SOMEONE FOR THE WIND BLOWING? BUT WHEN WE STARTED MEETING WITH RANCHERS AND LOCAL COMMUNITIES, THEY WELCOMED IT WITH OPEN ARMS. THEY WERE VERY, VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THE EXTRA INCOME. AND WITH WIND POWER, IT WAS EASY BECAUSE THEY COULD STILL FARM AND RANCH AROUND THE TURBINES.

“Everyone was gung ho. We’d have Wind Balls for Earth Day and everybody would get dressed up. We'd have a band from Austin come play and have it catered. It was good for everyone in the community.

“We did a number of large projects that are still operational. Then I left the wind industry and started in solar. 

“That leads to another huge issue that we're up against in the next 20 to 50 years: Recycling these wind blades and also solar panels. I'm passionate about seeing these things disposed of properly. ​​I'm looking forward to a full renewable lifecycle.” 

Raina Tillman Hornaday is Co-Founder of Caprock Renewables, where she currently serves as Chief Operating Officer.