Over the past decade, Texas has led on wind but lagged on solar power. That may soon change. Texas solar companies are now offering "all-solar" plans to take advantage of an improved market.
The state of Texas has become known for its widespread adoption of wind power, which in November of 2015 generated 18 percent of electricity on the state's dominant ERCOT grid. "On solar, however, Texas has been lagging. It ranked No. 10 among the states in solar power as of September. Texas doesn't match the incentives of some states and has an abundant supply of other cheap energy, including natural gas."
Mitchell Schnurman writes, "Prices for solar panels have fallen over 80 percent since 2009, making it competitive with fossil fuels. That's ramped up the outlook in Texas, because there's plenty of sun, a growing population, a huge electric load and a hyper-competitive electricity market."
Industry analysts have a sunny attitude toward solar's future in the state. From the article: "Last year, solar installations on ERCOT grew almost 50 percent. This year, solar generation could jump sixfold, according to ERCOT projections, which are based on developer agreements to connect with the grid."
FULL STORY: Solar power starts ascent in Texas
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research