By Howard ‘Scot’ Arey
Chair, TXSES Board of Directors
As I write this column, President Biden announced that the U.S. will cease to import Russian oil. Simultaneously, Ukraine is set to join the European energy system in a further step to lessen its dependence on Russian oil and gas. The Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline, designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany, has been canceled. This conflict is causing consequential global energy turmoil. How do the U.S. and Texas look beyond the political paradigms of yesterday to keep the lights on, cars and trucks running, and energy plants producing ample energy for our communities?
At our recent strategic planning meeting, the TXSES board discussed how behind-your-meter distributed solar is under attack. We know it’s not enough to fight the policy roadblocks put in place by rural electric cooperatives looking to protect their historical business models. Instead, we need to show how solar complements Texas’ entire energy portfolio making it more available and less expensive for everybody. Texas solar needs to shift from an “us-them” to an “all-of-Texas” approach.
“All of Texas” acknowledges that our state has four natural resources: oil, natural gas, wind and solar. No other state touches the resource availability we have. Most other nations envy what we have. This is not the first time I’ve written this but until the Texas Legislature imposes severance taxes on a gust of wind or a photon of sunshine, it might not care as much about wind and solar until they deliver dollars into the state coffers. While I’m not suggesting that Texas tax wind and sunshine, I do wonder what it would take to export our abundant renewable energy resources. The answer might be opening ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas) to the other national grids so we can export our excess wind and solar production. Want to see an economic boom? Monetizing exportable Texas renewable resources will help Texas and the nation writ large.
Texas is home to some of the nation’s leading top research universities. Not only must we turn wind and solar into exportable resources, but we must also innovate concepts and models for distributed rooftop solar to contribute to the resiliency of the Texas grid. A look at ancillary services is just the tip of where solar and storage can contribute to grid stability. Expanding the art of the possible, imagine how virtual net-metering and blockchain technology might enable you and me to contribute excess kilowatt-hours directly to a non-profit to help them accomplish their mission. We have the researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs to make this happen.
It takes bold legislators to make this happen, as policy is too often driven by silo-like trade associations that push one-dimensional models. These models might have worked yesterday. But today is a different world.
It’s going to take an embrace of everything Texas has to offer to keep our homes, cars and industries in Texas and the nation running. It will take All of Texas.
Solar is ready to work – with all. For all.