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Texas

June 2009 Update: Friends, we cannot quite believe the news either, but the ambitious Texas solar bill, SB 545, which would have directed  $500 million towards a rebate program for gigawatts worth of utility-scale and small-scale solar installations died this weekend. The silver lining is that we did have one concrete solar victory this session.  HB 1937, which will allow cities to create finance programs to allow home owners to spread out the cost of a solar project into a long-term assessment on their property taxes, is now law. READ MORE

Policy Needs:

Texas is primed for solar. The Lone Star State is one of the largest energy consumers in the country with high electricity rates and an air-conditioner load that sends electricity demand soaring during mid-day when the sun is at its highest. And that Texan sun shines bright; panels lining an area as small as thirty miles by thirty miles in West Texas could power the entire state. Yet today solar makes up less than 0.01% of the state's energy mix.

Vote Solar is working to change all that and build a strong solar market for all Texans. Click Here for our Texas Solar Policy Report.

The race is on in the critical 2009 legislative session (see our blog post). Vote Solar is currently working with our industry and environmental coalition partners to draft legislation and build support for a number of policy goals:

Diversify the Clean Energy Requirements - The State's current Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) has brought thousands of megawatts of wind to Texas, but almost no other renewables, including solar. We want to increase and broaden the RPS requirements to 4,000 megawatts of diversified renewable energy by 2019 so that a strong solar market has room to grow.

Create Rebates for Rooftop Solar - Vote Solar and our advocacy partners are designing and building support for a rebate program to bring 2,000 MW of distributed solar to Texas homes, businesses and other buildings by 2020. Designed to fit into the state's popular energy efficiency program, the solar rebate levels will decrease as more PV is deployed leaving a self-sustaining, mature solar market in place at the end of the 10 year initiative.  In addition to providing cost-effective electricity for Texas energy customers, the 2,000 MW program is expected to create 126,000 manufacturing jobs, 112,600 installation jobs and avoid 29,072,576 tons of polluting carbon emissions.

Implement Constructive Tax Policies - Tax policies can be a relatively easy way to encourage solar development within a state, but Texas does not currently have supportive policies in place. Vote Solar is helping implement sales tax exemptions on distributed solar equipment and property tax abatements for utility-scale solar projects.

Fix the Flawed Net Metering Laws - In order for solar system owners to get fair credit for the electricity they deliver to the grid, Texas needs to make a number of changes to its existing net metering laws. Vote Solar is working to clarify the current net metering policy definitions, reporting requirements, success criteria and enforcement mechanisms - all to empower energy consumers to generate their own electricity from the sun.

From Texas? Sign our Solar Policy Petition and check out our "help Wanted" campaign.

Vote Solar lead on Texas is Annie Carmichael

Updated 1/26/09