What is happening
Texans want more solar in their communities. We know that producing our own power locally is good for our wallets, economy, energy independence, air quality, and our grid’s resiliency.
A February poll by the University of Houston found that 64% of Texans support expanding solar – more than any other energy source. 1
With such strong, bipartisan support, our legislators should be doing everything in their power to help more Texans go solar and reap the full benefit of their investment.
The Texas legislature is currently considering several bills that would impact the future of solar in our state. Some are good:
- House Bill (HB) 3010 would require local governments to use an online permitting process for typical rooftop solar arrays and battery storage. This would make it faster, easier, and more affordable for Texans to go solar.
But there are a few that would move Texas further from our vision for a more affordable and more reliable grid.:
- Senate Bill (SB) 6 would require more gas-fired power plants as a reliability measure, and would have ratepayers foot the bill. There are better, cheaper ways to make the Texas grid stronger, including investing in more distributed solar and battery storage.
- SB 2015 would require renewable companies to subsidize the construction of new fossil fuel plants, again sticking customers with substantial costs.
Solar on more Texas rooftops means more affordable electricity and a stronger, more resilient power grid. These bills, and others like them, would put Texas on the wrong path.
Tell your state legislators that solar needs to be a priority. Ask them to support bills like HB 3010 that would help it grow. And, ask them to oppose SB 6 and SB 2015 that would move Texas further from our vision for a more affordable and reliable grid powered by the sun.
1 https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2023/february-2023/02152023-hobby-energy-survey.php
