Solar Projects are on the Rise in Texas

---

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Texas will see a transformation in the power sector according to Donna Nelson, chairman of the Texas Public Utility Commission (Austin). The state is expected to see over 2,000 megawatts (MW) of new utility scale solar generation in the next three to four years, according to transmission grid operator Electric Reliability Commission of Texas (ERCOT) (Austin).

Industrial Info is currently tracking 12 solar projects in Texas valued at $1.98 billion, with a total of 963 MW. Four of these projects are scheduled to start construction in 2016, with a total megawatt capacity of 263 MW.

ERCOT predicts that solar generation in the state will grow to 13 gigawatts (GW) by 2030, which would be about 2% of the total generation in the ERCOT system.

As of January, there were 5,194 MW of solar power projects that have signed interconnection agreements with ERCOT. For more information, see February 23, article U.S. Installed Solar Capacity is Expected to Double in 2016.

Solar power projects can take from a few months to a year to construct, depending on the size. Unlike fossil fuel power plants, solar facilities require little day-to-day maintenance after construction is completed.

While oil and natural gas development has fallen from previous highs, solar generation is now the next development boom. Solar generation capacity factors have risen as well, to about 30% due to several trends such as better siting of new projects, new tracking technology and an accurate oversizing of the solar collector field.

Although the state of Texas got an "F" from the interstate Renewable Energy Council (Latham, New York) for lack of net metering policies (which would credit utility customers with the amount of power contributed to the grid through solar panels or other means) the state legislature did approve Senate Bill 1626, which closed a loophole that allowed developers to keep solar power out of communities that keep growing for many years, such as a subdivision that never builds out to completion. The law states that developers of expanding subdivisions of larger than 50 homes can no longer ban solar panels, which means that a homeowner could install solar panels on their roof, which in turn would help to lower the residential electric bill.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities. Follow IIR on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn. For more information on our coverage, send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.com or visit us online at http://www.industrialinfo.com/.