Texas and Solar Power Are a Great Fit

May 18, 2013

Texas is in need of more electricity supply. Texas twice the solar energy potential of any other state and ranks 13th in the nation for cumulative installed solar capacity. Solar energy uses very little water to generate clean energy, this is a perfect fit for a state that is experiencing drought conditions, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association ( SEIA).

Energy Experts: Deploying More Solar in Texas Will Create New Jobs, Ensure Grid Reliability

In a new report, energy experts say Texas can help ensure the reliability of its electricity supply by deploying more solar energy, especially during the coming summer months. In recent years, Texas summers have been marked by extreme heat and drought. Wednesday, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) issued its Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) as well as the semiannual update to its long-term Capacity, Demand and Reserves (CDR) report.

The Mueller Austin solar array in Austin, Texas, United States. This a series of 18 to 20-foot tall flower-shaped sculptures that collect solar energy to light the buildings at night. | Photo: Larry D. Moore | CC BY-SA 3.0. | Wikipedia Commons

Texas’ potential for solar power, combined with solar energy’s low water usage and peak generation, makes it a perfect fit for the state’s current and long‐term electricity needs.

Installing more solar in Texas would entice more solar companies to do business in Texas, and further fuel the Texas economy by creating jobs and increasing investment in the state. –Carrie Cullen Hitt, senior vice president of state affairs at the SEIA.

Five months ago, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) concluded that Texas is not maintaining adequate electric reserves to meet the state’s growing demand, and highlighted ERCOT as the only region in North America that is not doing so. NERC underscored the need for increased electric generation capacity in Texas to provide reliable power to quickly meet and sustain growing demand, and pressed ERCOT to develop an action plan to mitigate the risk to the state.

According to SEIA & GTM Research’s U.S. Solar Market Insight: 2012 Year-in-Review report, Texas ranks 13^th in the U.S. for cumulative installed solar capacity. The state has 121 megawatts (MW) of solar with an additional 400 MW under contract. Texas is home to 260 solar companies, including 21 manufacturing facilities that produce goods used throughout the solar supply chain.

The U.S. State Solar Jobs Map, released earlier this month by The Solar Foundation, shows the Texas solar industry employs 3,200 workers. With its vast acres of usable land, Texas has great potential – more than twice that of any other state – to increase its rank as one of the most significant solar states.

By Amber Archangel