Texas wind and the voice of the people

This Times article about Texas wind power is informative, but it doesn't mention the fact that in '96 and '98 Texas utility companies polled their customers to ask about energy alternatives. There were also several Deliberative Polls, sponsored by the Center for Deliberative Democracy at Stanford and headed by Professor Jim Fishkin of the Communications dept. I have taken a seminar with Fishkin on "models of democracy" and found the Deliberative Poll idea very interesting. Basically, it pays a scientifically selected microcosm of citizens to attend a town hall meeting where they're presented with relevant factual information on an issue and allowed to debate and question field experts. Their decisions are then supposed to reflect "informed" public opinion. In the Texas case, customers' eventual preference for wind baffled pollsters, who had expected a typical preference for natural gas. Pretty neat, and something to keep an eye out for in the news. (For example, there was a Deliberative Poll in China last week.)