Jun 22, 2023 | Txses Impact
By Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons | TXSES Executive Director
It’s June in Texas, another day of unrelenting headlines about excessive heat warnings and triple-digit temperatures and ERCOT asking us to conserve electricity. It’s not surprising that more and more Texans are looking to solar and storage to ensure continued electric service during grid emergencies.
Texas’ solar industry is in overdrive, and it’s not just because of the extreme weather.
With hardware costs down nearly 50 percent over the past decade in the residential and small commercial markets, coupled with the Inflation Reduction Act’s 30 percent tax credit for residential systems installed through 2034, the Texas solar industry can realistically plan for growth and hire more people to respond to the demand. Demand is also on the rise for batteries as homeowners combine solar with storage for reliable backup power. Storage is also eligible for the 30 percent tax credit.
But falling hardware prices and tax credits aren’t the whole picture.
Currently representing about 8 percent, soft costs like permitting, financing and installation make up a growing share of the total solar system’s costs. There is no standardized permitting process. Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) have their own set of rules and processes for solar that can take anywhere from two weeks to two months. Mistakes in the paperwork and it’s a do-over. This doesn’t include the interconnection process which can take up to six months in certain parts of the state. Ultimately, speed
In 2021 and in response to the overwhelming volume of residential solar permitting applications nationwide, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), along with code officials, AHJs and the solar industry developed a standardized plan review software to run compliance checks and speed up building permit approvals for eligible solar rooftop systems. Known as Solar APP+ (Solar Automated Permit Processing), this free, innovative software is a lifesaver for permitting departments. Here are some key facets of the Solar APP+ software:
- It integrates with existing government software.
- It automates plan review, permit approval, and project tracking.
- It standardizes up to 90% of standard system plans.
- It provides an inspection checklist and final sign-off after installation.
According to a 2022 NREL report on Solar APP+ performance, communities that have adopted SolarAPP+ have saved more than 12,800 hours in plan review time, and projects are installed about two weeks faster, given that permits are issued instantly for code-compliant systems. This groundbreaking software has the potential to speed up installations and reduce costs while addressing climate change.
Currently, 15 AHJs have publicly launched SolarAPP+, and 16 more are piloting the platform including AHJs in Tool, Waco and Houston, Texas.
With the relentless growth of solar in the state, we want to help more Texas municipalities adopt Solar APP+, and thanks to our friends at the State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), we’ll be able to do just that.
Once approved by the Department of Energy (DOE), SECO will offer a $25K funding opportunity for each qualified municipality to adopt Solar APP+. In addition to SECO funding, NREL will support the municipalities with free technical assistance and hardware upgrades – this means NO cost to municipalities! It’s our intention to help a minimum of seven additional municipalities adopt Solar APP+ beginning October 1.
If you’re interested in helping your municipality adopt Solar APP+, email me at pparsons@txses.org
Jun 2, 2023 | Txses Impact
By Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons
TXSES Executive Director
We breathe a collective sigh of relief: the 88th regular legislative session is over. By all accounts, this session featured a legislature run amok in a dedicated animosity to adapt and evolve.
It was a session that promised the most innovative grid resiliency legislation ever when actually it was the session with the most anti-renewable bills ever filed, in blatant tribute to a state relentlessly addicted to fossil fuels. The good news: it could have been worse.
Hardly a day passed during the 140-day session where regional, national and international headlines expressed bewilderment at why Texas would brazenly turn its back on The Texas Miracle, a 15-year booming renewable energy industry, the envy of all states. We’ve been #1 in wind-powered electricity generation, producing nearly 26 percent of US wind energy and 21 percent of state-generated electricity.
In solar, we’re currently ranked #2 nationally with 16 GW on the ground and 36 GW in the queue over the next five years. Texas gets almost 5 percent of its electricity from solar and can boast of a solar workforce of more than 10,000. These are statistics any state would die for.
And yet with unrivaled clean energy business opportunities that have catapulted Texas into the 21st energy century with affordability, access and overwhelming consumer demand for renewables, we’re squandering these enviable opportunities. If anything, consumer demand for distributed solar is likely to set new records as electric rates escalate.
Deep bows to our intrepid solar industry’s tireless efforts to educate legislators about renewables’ immense economic, social and environmental benefits in all parts of the state. Their networked knowledge and fierce spirit are exemplary of why the Texas renewable energy industry is a steward of substance and hope-giving force for the inevitable tomorrow.
We are not dispirited. Fact is, our work is far from over. It’s an honor and privilege to be part of this industry.
May 6, 2023 | Txses Impact
By Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons, TXSES Executive Director
On May 4, 2023, I attended the Public Utility Commission’s (PUCT) distributed energy resources (DER) workshop Docket 54233 as it considers updating DER interconnection standards and DER technical standards. The goal of the workshop was to get feedback from interested parties like TXSES, other non-profits and utilities.
Currently, PUCT staff recommends that all DERs in Texas be subject to uniform and defined interconnection standards and technical standards that will enable maximum DER development and provide necessary protections to maintain reliability.
State interconnection standards govern the process for clean energy systems to connect to the grid. If the process is slow, expensive, and/or unpredictable, it can impede investment and prevent a more rapid shift to clean energy, not to mention adding costs to the project since time equals money.
In January, the PUCT requested comments on proposed rules. Commission staff proposed the technical standards be split into two standards which could be codified in a single rule or two rules:
–Interconnection Standard A with a nameplate capacity greater than 50 kilowatts (kW); and
–Interconnection Standard B where 16 TAC § 25.211 is updated and applies to DERs with a nameplate capacity of 50 kW or less.
TXSES submitted comments to the technical standards recommending that the PUCT leave 25.211 and 25.212 in place as single rules and not combine them.
TXSES recommended that DG projects of up to 500kW or less is a distributed system and stay separate from large, utility-scale projects. At the workshop on May 4th, 2023, I spoke in favor of increasing the size to at least 500KW. After many comments from many stakeholders in attendance, the staff decided that distributed systems will be 1MW or less and utility-scale and DER systems will remain separate.
TXSES recognizes the need to implement a standardized interconnection process for distribution utilities across the state, ensuring a streamlined and uniform manner for any customer anywhere in the State to have their installed system interconnected in a timely manner. However, the proposed interconnection rules, while making large-scale, unregistered solar interconnection more accessible, strips away existing consumer protections, impose new burdensome interconnection study requirements and do not address the fundamental issues at the heart of interconnecting distributed solar on residential premises.
We also expressed concern in the meeting about how long it is taking for interconnection agreements to be processed (in some instances, we’ve heard as long as seven months). Time is money and installers should have a clear idea of the time it will take to process interconnection applications, and the individual who has paid for the installation should not have to wait an unreasonable amount of time to begin saving money. The PUCT has a timeline and as written allows for formal complaints to be submitted to the PUCT if a utility doesn’t comply in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, there is no enforcement.
Efficient interconnection standards and procedures will benefit Texas consumers by eliminating inconsistencies and decreasing soft costs ensuring a long-term, robust Texas distributed solar market.
The PUCT has agreed to a follow-up working meeting with stakeholders to determine a fair and reasonable amount of time for utilities to respond to the interconnection process.
I plan to be in attendance.
Dec 1, 2022 | Txses Impact
As we approach year’s end, I’m thinking about gratitude, more than ever, both personally and professionally. Beloved family and cherished friends notwithstanding, I have profound gratitude for TXSES and the people who make this organization the treasure that it is.
There has been no shortage of challenges and victories this year. We’d scratch one thing off our to-do list and add three more. It’s not a complaint. It’s an acknowledgment of our ability to recognize timely issues providing opportunities for TXSES to engage. There are a couple of reasons we’re able to do this so effectively: our esteemed board of directors, whose expert insight keeps us on a visionary path; and our talented staff who are tireless in their work ethic and committed to keeping TXSES as the indisputable source for factual, unbiased solar information.
In truth, there are two more reasons for boundless gratitude. Our generous donors enable us to achieve our mission of equitable solar access for every Texan. Last, but not least, it’s you, our members, who inspire and embolden us to do what we do best: educate and raise awareness of the value and benefits of Texas’s unlimited solar resource, resulting in the kinds of successes you’ve come to expect from us.
TXSES is built on the collective efforts of all of us. We couldn’t do what we do without each other. Heartfelt thanks for all you do for TXSES.
May 2023 bring more clean energy for us all. Happiest of holidays to you and yours.
Nov 2, 2022 | Txses Impact
by Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons
Executive Director | Texas Solar Energy Society
Portions of this essay have been paraphrased from David Wallace-Well’s article, Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality is Coming into View in the New York Times. For a complete list of paraphrased sections, refer to the footnotes and citations for more information on the original source.
We’ve all heard the alarming news and statistics about climate change. Some of us, including me, have developed “eco-anxiety.” Why wouldn’t I? I’ve worked in the clean energy space and have been aware of all the distressing climate news my entire professional career; PLUS, I have children and now grandchildren.
Today, when we realistically evaluate the situation concerning water, disastrous extreme weather events, melting glaciers, etc., we admit that we have some serious problems to overcome. Lester Brown, American environmental analyst, founder of the Worldwatch Institute, founder and former president of the Earth Policy Institute, reminds us that the world population has doubled, and the world economy has expanded by 7x in the past 50 years. As to be expected, with this many people to feed worldwide and the ever-increasing concerns about water due to droughts and floods, we certainly have current and future concerns about producing and sustaining our global food supply.
Climatologists previously believed that a “business-as-usual” approach to carbon emissions would raise temperatures globally by 3.2-5.4 degrees Celsius, triggering sea level rise, famines, mass displacements and societal collapses2. Scientists now believe that warming this century will most likely fall between two or three degrees, and while still too high, it’s better than scientific predictions of five degrees hotter. Thanks to astonishing declines in the price of renewables, a truly global political mobilization, a clearer picture of the energy future and serious policy focus from world leaders, we have cut expected warming almost in half in just five years.
This good news indicates we are headed in the right direction. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in the previous year alone, 28.5 GW of energy were added by combined renewables. It’s now expected that by 2023, 23% of U.S. energy needs will come from renewables[1].
Additionally, renewables are rapidly becoming affordable. The price of lithium-ion batteries has dropped 85%, wind has dropped 55%, and solar is now almost universally cheaper than new non-renewables. Solar capacity is being built out on a large enough scale to produce enough energy to keep temperatures below the 2-degree Celsius point-of-no-return[2].
Will that be enough to meet future electricity demands?
If you consider everything that needs to be electrified, like residential and commercial buildings and the transportation sector, we really need to up our game. According to American Clean Power, we are still on track to achieve only 35% of the Biden Administration’s goals for 2035[3].
How do things look on the electric vehicle front?
Despite having greater up-front emissions from production, in the long run, EVs are cleaner than internal combustion engines, even after accounting for the mix of energy sources within the grid. Additionally, while cobalt has long been a worrying environmental factor in EVs, research is underway to produce cobalt-less battery technologies or recycle batteries altogether[4].
In fact, companies like BMW and Nissan are exploring the possibility of designing EV batteries to serve a secondary function as grid batteries. Though there is still much work to be done on this front, it’s expected that such capabilities would add up to 10 years to a battery’s lifespan[5].
How does distributed energy generation help?
According to the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA), distributed renewables are the cheapest energy option per watt, at $2.94 ($11k for a typical residential setup). They also tend to be cheaper, more reliable, and more stable than centralized plants, of which they ease the burden on, leading to reduced externalities on the environment from commercial-scale production[6].
What role does energy efficiency play?
Consider these stats of a typical household and think about how conservation can have huge implications for reducing the amount of energy produced.
- Heating – 26% energy used by heating system.
- Cooling – 17% energy used by cooling system.
- Water Heating – 13% energy used by water heaters for bathing, cleaning, etc.
- Lighting – 10% energy used for lighting your home.
- Appliances – 14% energy used for food storage, clothes washing and drying, cooking, etc.
- Electronics – 7% energy used for home entertainment systems, computers, etc.
- Other – 13% energy used for pool pumps, motors, and other miscellaneous devices.
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has been tracking the energy improvements of appliances and practices, determining that current trends show promising results in the efficiency of buildings and manufacturing processes. Much of that progress has been driven by improvements in the efficiency of motor appliances as a system – such as A/C systems – reducing electricity costs for the system function by 27-55%. This is in contrast to the meager 5% reduction attributable from the upgraded efficiency of a single appliance[7].
In conclusion
My takeaway from a presentation by Doug Lewin, President of Stoic Energy, is we have all the necessary technologies for energy-efficient homes. Future advances in systems analysis and optimization are expected to identify and realize even greater savings while also enabling the integration of emerging and transformative technologies crucial to the decarbonization of the economy.
And what about energy production? Currently, we are under-utilizing utility-scale generation capacity at night. As my friend Michael Osborne points out, “nighttime loads in the summertime are often less than half of the daytime loads. Nationwide, night loads are 60% of daytime loads during the summer, and in all seasons, nighttime loads are 15 to 30% less than daytime loads. It’s in these valleys that electric vehicles can be charged at maximum efficiency and minimum costs.”
This article doesn’t even address other technologies like geothermal, virtual power plants and others that can help reduce the electrical load.
Kate Marvel of NASA, and lead chapter author on the fifth National Climate Assessment stated, “The world will be what we make it.”
“We live in a terrible world, and we live in a wonderful world,” Marvel says. “It’s a terrible world that’s more than a degree Celsius warmer. But also, a wonderful world in which we have so many ways to generate electricity that are cheaper and more cost-effective and easier to deploy than I would’ve ever imagined. People are writing credible papers in scientific journals making the case that switching rapidly to renewable energy isn’t a net cost; it will be a net financial benefit,” she says with a headshake of near-disbelief. “If you had told me five years ago that that would be the case, I would’ve thought, wow, that’s a miracle.”
More robust clean energy policy is the answer!
The bottom line: to ramp up what we still need to get us to net-zero emissions is for citizens to vote for change at the local, state and federal levels. If we continue with “business as usual,” we will have little recourse against anti-solar and other critical environmental policies to keep us on the road to a net zero energy world.
“We’ve come a long way, and we’ve still got a long way to go,” says climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe, comparing the world’s progress to a long hike. “We’re halfway there. Look at the great view behind you. We actually made it up halfway, and it was a hard slog. So, take a breather, pat yourself on the back, but then look up — that’s where we have to go. So, let’s keep on going.”
PS: If you haven’t already, vote! And take a friend.
Citations:
“RCP 8.5: Business-as-Usual or a Worst-Case Scenario?” Climate Nexus. Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, September 26, 2019. https://climatenexus.org/climate-change-news/rcp-8-5-business-as-usual-or-a-worst-case-scenario/.
Wallace-wells, David. “Beyond Catastrophe: A New Climate Reality Is Coming into View.” The New York Times. The New York Times Company, October 26, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/26/magazine/climate-change-warming-world.html.
[1] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
[2] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
[3] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
[4] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
[5] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
[6] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
[7] Wallace-Wells “Beyond Catastrophe” 2022.
