Aug 17, 2022 | News
State Energy Plan Advisory Committee Meeting Puts Renewables on the Chopping Block
On Friday, August 12, 2022, I attended the first publicly announced State Energy Plan Advisory Committee. The committee, which has met only twice since its formation in 2021, has taken no public testimony. In fact, the committee and its anti-renewable stance has finally gained public attention, thanks to good friend and colleague Doug Lewin.
The 12-member committee, appointed by Governor Abbott, Lt. Gov. Patrick and Speaker Phelan, includes representatives from the natural gas and utility industries only. Neither the solar nor wind industries are represented. Although the committee was created during the 87th Legislature in 2021, Patrick announced his four appointees in February 2022.
The committee was tasked with preparing a comprehensive state energy plan that includes methods to improve the reliability, affordability and stability of the Texas grid. Yet the committee held its second full meeting on August 8th to vote on and approve the State Energy Plan Report, to be delivered to the legislature by September 1, 2022, which begs the question: with only two meetings and no clean energy representatives on the committee, how will renewables fare in a state energy plan moving forward?
At the August 12th meeting, committee members discussed including renewables along new transmission lines to increase the amount of available intermittent renewable energies. Members agreed that renewables’ intermittency makes them an unreliable energy source; they may fluctuate too much to be stable for taxpayers.
Actually, the term isn’t intermittent; it’s variable. But thanks to improved weather predictions and operating experience, renewables have two things fossil plants don’t: they are highly predictable and have well over 95% availability. That is, renewables are there when you expect them and need them to be, outperforming other power plants that were offline or failed to meet expectations. Managing large amounts of renewables does take work, but as shown on recent hot peak demand days or during Winter Storm Uri, they overperform and can save Texans millions in costs.
After widespread blackouts during Uri, regulators approved a series of market reforms designed to avoid grid disruptions this summer — and the costs for those reforms are already showing up on our bills. In fact, Texas consumers are now paying about $0.20/kWh, about double what they were in January.
The issue isn’t whether renewable energy technologies aren’t advanced enough or Texas has an insufficient amount of them. During the first three months of 2022, wind and solar accounted for a record 34% of generation within ERCOT, outperforming the state’s fleet of combined-cycle gas turbines as the dominant source of electricity, according to a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis. And in July, solar met 10% or more of demand at the peak hour on 25 of July’s 1 days. On the other four days, solar was above 9.6% of total demand at the peak hour.
The issue is transmission.
ERCOT, our power grid, is isolated from the rest of the nation’s power grids, limiting our ability to import power when we need it and export power when we have excess. During Winter Storm Uri, we were unable to receive power from neighboring power grids. And just this summer, some West Texas wind generation went offline because of transmission constraints, depriving cities like Houston, Dallas or Austin of affordable, clean power.
With an extra $27B in state coffers for the upcoming 88th Legislature, legislators have the distinct opportunity to enact smart policies like upgrading inadequate transmission capabilities so that renewables can provide grid stability during high energy demand summers and winters at competitive prices.
Rather than imposing punitive regulatory actions on renewables, despite clear evidence of their benefit to the grid, helping Texas’ decision makers recognize the enormous benefits of renewable energy technologies so they can propose sound clean energy policies that remove barriers for a 21st Century grid is the more sensible approach.
This is what TXSES does best.
For more than four decades, TXSES has been the pre-eminent statewide organization that develops independent, fact-based solar energy information and brings them to leaders in communities like yours, enabling them to make the best decisions that inspire innovation and lay the foundation for a 100% clean energy future for us all, one community at a time.
Aug 3, 2022 | News
By Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons
Executive Director TXSES
Since February, when Russia invaded Ukraine, Texas has been exporting more natural gas to Europe…more than ever before, leaving less gas for Texas consumers and at elevated prices. Coupled with a relentless explosion in the state’s population and record-breaking searing summer temperatures, Texas consumers have been hit with hefty electric bills this summer – at least 50% more than last year.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the cost of electricity for residents rose 10% in the last year. The average cost of electricity rose to 12.8 cents per kilowatt hour in March. Natural gas prices are up 181% from May 2021 to May 2022. Texas saw the largest year-to-year increase in electricity generation (17.7%) due to experiencing the second warmest May on record.
And it’s only August.
Since February 2021, ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council of Texas), the Texas grid operator, has shifted its historic priority of providing Texans cheap power to focusing on grid reliability. That translates to higher utility bills for you and me. According to City Public Service (CPS), the municipal utility in San Antonio, average June bills rose from $147 in 2021 to $225 in 2022. Incidentally, we’re all still paying for February 2021 and will be for years.
To add insult to injury, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs stopped accepting applications for the Texas Utility Help, an assistance program for low-income homeowners and renters. The $50 million program launched on July 7 and within two weeks, it stopped processing applications. According to sources, it’s unclear if the fund dried up or was ill-prepared to handle the demand. Either way, it’s another Texas consumer energy pain point.
Even though we are all paying the price for it, on the plus side, the state’s record-high sales tax and oil and gas production revenues over the past year translate to an extra $27 billion in state coffers. Lawmakers are already hard at work vying for those funds ahead of the January 2023 legislative session. Grid resilience or transmission upgrades legislation anyone?
What are some Texas clean energy stats?
ERCOT data say solar power is the fastest-growing source of energy in Texas, increasing 70% year-over-year in May.
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), Texas installed 6,060 MW of solar generation capacity in 2021, for a total capacity of 13,947 MW by Q1 2022. Texas now has enough solar power for 1,682,330 homes, with growth potential of 18,401 MW for the next five years. And while only 3.75% of Texas’ electricity currently comes from solar, the potential market is still massive.
In fact, while total electricity demand in the ERCOT region increased by 9% compared with Q1 2021, wind and solar generation increased by 14% and 85% respectively (not a typo). Renewable energy, which accounted for 31.25% of electricity in Q1 2022, surpassed gas-fired energy!
What’s more, ERCOT gives a robust thumbs-up growth forecast for energy storage technologies. Texas had 833 MW at the end of 2021 but installed capacity could reach 5,000 MW by the end of 2022 and 6,500 MW by 2024. Surely that counts for clean energy bragging rights.
Additionally, according to an Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis report, solar and wind farms combined generated 34% of ERCOT electricity in Q1 2022, which represents a new record for renewables in Texas.
Just last week, the long-awaited Inflation Reduction Act includes a 10-year extension of the Production Tax Credit (PTC) at 30%, stepping down to 26% in 2033 and 22% in 2034. The 30% credit also applies to energy storage whether it is co-located or installed as standalone energy storage, enabling the retrofit of a battery to a solar array while taking advantage of the credit. Envision Texas’ clean energy generation in 10 years.
Where’s the solar workforce?
With the inevitable growth of clean energy resources over the next 10 years, the obvious question is will there be enough of a trained, quality workforce to respond to the relentless need?
In the recently released 2021 National Solar Jobs Census, there are more than a quarter million solar workers, an increase of 9.2% or 21,563 more jobs compared to 2020. In fact, nearly every state saw job growth in 2021. Good news: less than one-third of solar jobs require a bachelor’s degree.
Though the surge in solar permits issued and financials like declining hardware costs, local incentives and federal incentives are compelling, our business installer members fret about the severe shortage of workers, from entry-level to professional. According to the 2021 National Solar Jobs Census, nearly 50% of industry respondents cited competition and small applicant pool as the most significant reason for difficulty hiring at solar companies. When it comes to the most difficult positions to fill, 23% cited installation workers as #1, with electricians and construction workers a close second at 22.5%.
At TXSES, we’re keenly aware of the urgent need for quality training and education, and we’re working to plug those gaps with statewide intern and apprenticeship programs. We’re working closely with industry and educators to ensure that the curricula match industry needs so workers are ready on day one.
What can you do?
If you’ve been thinking about installing solar on your roof or subscribing to a community solar farm, join the hundreds of Texans who are thinking and doing the same thing. TXSES’ business member-installers tell us they’ve never been busier, and battery storage is now a regular part of the conversation. With natural gas prices likely to remain high for some time to come, investing in solar, either rooftop or community solar, is a hedge against rising natural gas prices, grid insecurity and extreme weather events. Visit our business members page for installers in Texas.
Jul 13, 2022 | Solar News of Note, Txses Impact
By Patrice ‘Pete’ Parsons
July 13, 2022
Published in the Dallas Morning News (subscription only) and Corpus Christi Caller-Times
As Texans hunkered down again from a “reserve capacity energy shortage” this week, one thing was clear: Texans who invested in solar helped the electric grid keep us cool.
The great thing about solar in increasingly hot Texas, with temperature records blown out across the state over the past three days, is that the exact times when we’re reaching to increase the air conditioning, solar is doing its thing: offsetting that increased need with the sun’s rays.
As natural gas price increases blast off, and gas, coal and nuclear barely meeting the challenge, solar has done its work affordably and quietly. All of which makes for head-scratching: the decisions that Texas municipalities and electrical co-ops are inflicting on solar installers and their customers are slowing the pace of this clean energy source across our sunny state.
Texas Solar Energy Society is the oldest solar nonprofit in Texas (established in 1982). Recently, our business members tell us of the ever-increasing obstacles being put in their way, just at this critical time when we could use more Texas-abundant, clean energy on the grid.
From Houston to Central Texas to the Panhandle, excessive permit processing and lengthy inspections by municipalities are slowing the pace of solar installations. What many readers may not know is that every solar installation requires multiple building and electrical permits, with some cities requiring as many as six different permits. Some installers have opted out in Waco due to its labyrinthian permit processes. In Houston, the energy capital of the world, solar installers wait months for permit approval. They’re often sent “back to the end of the line” for the slightest error on the long application form.
Another hurdle installers face is rapidly increasing processing fees for solar permits. In many Texas cities, solar electricity installation permit fees can be 10 times as much as residential general electrical installation permit fees. The largest electrical co-op in the country, the Pedernales Electrical Co-op, has the following fees for homeowners who want to install rooftop systems:
- Application and engineering study fee: $250 for systems smaller than or equal to 50kW.
- Interconnection agreement and inspection fee for the same system size: $250;
- For systems larger than 50kW, the application fee is $150 with an additional $250 for the interconnect and inspection fee and the full cost of a larger engineering study fee.
Inspections are often another morass of wait time. In one municipality, a fire department is doing the inspections, using ladders to access roofs. And while our industry absolutely promotes safety inspections, it would be cost-effective for cities to start investing in trained inspection personnel, capable of efficiently carrying out these assessments.
Solar is a massive growth industry in Texas with well-paying jobs. More than 85% of homeowners in Texas are now purchasing batteries as a part of their rooftop systems. In this way, they can use their own stored energy instead of grid-generated energy.
Having more efficient inspections and permitting processes can allow the current backlog of solar rooftop projects to move faster when we need them the most, in what will clearly be the hottest summer on record in Texas history. And while the costs of solar panels and storage batteries have come down in price significantly over the past few years, these are not inexpensive systems.
Current in-the-queue Texas solar rooftop homeowners’ investment doesn’t just benefit them. Their investment helps all Texans. Let’s work to get renewable energy onto our massively over-stressed grid.
Texas cities and the 67 electrical co-ops throughout the state should not hamper solar’s growth. Instead, they should work to connect more renewable, clean energy to the grid.
The Texas Solar Energy Society will be reaching out to all municipalities to promote a universal permit that will speed the process of Texans investing in solar. We hope that Texans will reach out to their local leaders and ask what kind of welcome mat they’ll provide for solar installers and solar rooftop investors; it should be an efficient one.
Mar 14, 2022 | News
Schedule: Part-time
Salary range: Commensurate with experience
Position: reports to Executive Director and Board Chair
Location: Flexible; Texas-based preferred
For more than four decades, TXSES has been the pre-eminent statewide organization developing free thought-leading, independent, fact-based educational materials that inspire innovation, share best practices and educate decision-makers on the critical importance of sound, favorable solar policies that will grow the industry; protect clean air; build healthy, resilient communities; support local, well-paying jobs; and lay the foundation for building a strong solar foundation for a 100% clean energy future for Texas, one community at a time.
Operating virtually, TXSES is a membership-based not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. Our unique niche is exemplified in our well-established local chapters in Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Houston and San Antonio. Having boots on the ground in these major metropolitan cities, which represent nearly a quarter of Texas’s 29 million citizens, enables our gifted, dedicated experts to disseminate fact-based, relevant solar information.
TXSES is proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and embracing a workplace with diverse voices and perspectives. Applicants shall not be discriminated against because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, gender identity, color, marital status or medical conditions.
ABOUT THE POSITION
TXSES is seeking an experienced, self-motivated, and innovative development expert to provide strategic direction and oversight of the organization’s development operations, including prospect research, corporate and foundation relations, government grants, annual giving, donor, funder and membership stewardship and grant reporting tracking. Reporting to TXSES’s Executive Director, the Director of Development will strengthen and expand TXSES’s fundraising program, which establishes and maintains mutually beneficial relationships with foundation, government and corporate partners and individual donors. The Director will develop and implement fundraising strategies to support our mission and revenue goals, guided by established metrics. This is a part-time position and is a new staff role in the organization.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Must embrace the mission of TXSES
- BA or BS from a regionally-accredited institution
- Minimum of five-seven years of progressively responsible development experience, including demonstrated expertise in corporate, foundation and major gift fundraising
- Direct experience soliciting funds from individuals, corporations, government and foundations
- Proposal writing proficiency, including budget development
- Demonstrated passion to mitigate the climate crisis and be part of the clean energy future
- Excellent interpersonal communication skills, including discretion and good judgement
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Ability to operate independently in a virtual environment and provide needed self-direction
- Demonstrated ability to prioritize, be flexible and work in a collaborative environment
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
- Degree in nonprofit management, philanthropy/development, or public administration from a regionally-accredited institution
- Current Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) certification
- Additional training in the field, such as grant writing, prospect research, foundation and corporate giving, government grants
- Knowledge of clean energy sector(s) such as solar, energy storage, electric vehicles, wind, energy efficiency, etc. considered a plus
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Strategic oversight
- Contribute to goals and tactics in support of TXSES’s Strategic Plan
- Develop and implement the annual development plan
- Coordinate efforts to identify, cultivate, solicit and steward individual, corporate, government and foundation prospects and funders, with the goal of increasing revenue in accordance with the development plan
- Work with Executive Director to develop cases for support for proposals and interactions with potential donors and funders
- Oversee grant seeking, including researching new opportunities, proposal writing, fundraising database and tracking systems
- Manage donor and funder relations and stewardship
- Make direct funding appeals/asks
- Assist with fundraising special events
TO APPLY
Submit the following materials to pparsons@txses.org with the subject line “Director of Development” no later than February 1, 2022 by 5:00 PM Central:
- Cover letter
- Resumé, including information on major gifts/grants secured
- Contact information for professional references
- Example of annual or other fundraising plan(s) you have developed
- Sample of a proposal and/or case for support language you authored
Nov 5, 2021 | News
The affairs of TXSES are governed by a Board of Directors chosen from its membership. If you are a current member of TXSES or become a member prior to the election, you are eligible to run for the Board and help guide organizational policy to advance our mission:
Equitable access to solar energy for every Texan.
For more than four decades, TXSES has been the pre-eminent statewide organization that develops free thought-leading, independent, fact-based educational materials that inspire innovation, share best practices and educate decision-makers on the critical importance of sound, favorable solar policies that will grow the industry; protect clean air; build healthy, resilient communities; support local, well-paying jobs; and lay the foundation for building a strong solar foundation for a 100% clean energy future for Texas, one community at a time.
New board members will serve two-year terms beginning January 2022. Four at-large board seats are up for election on the December 2021 ballot. More election information and instructions to submit your application can be found here.
To confirm TXSES membership status, contact Pete Parsons, pparsons@txses.net.
The submission deadline for candidates is November 30, 2021. The election will occur during the month of December. Email questions to TXSESelections@gmail.com.
On a personal note, I have found serving on the Board to be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. If you have a passion for renewable energy and want to make a difference in these challenging times, please consider running.
Amy Olsen | Vice-Chair TXSES Board of Directors
