Strong solar market projections in Texas encourage policy, market advances
At the annual Solar Power Texas event last month, regulators, utilities and solar and energy storage supply chain executives discussed the need for substantial policy and market evolution in their state to meet its sizeable growth potential: nearly eight gigawatts of solar in the next five years.
The event was divided into a series of sessions. Bill Madness, CEO of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), noted the importance of solar to meeting peak demand and maintaining a reliable grid as the future ticks on. A discussion between Solar Energy Industries Association CEO and president Abigail Ross Hopper and Texas Public Utilities Commissioner Arthur D’Andrea likewise addressed how well solar pairs with other technologies, such as energy storage. They pointed to the considerable growth the industry has experienced in Texas, though that growth has come with its fair share of issues.
The intersection of policy and business at the state and federal level continue to cause a stumbling block for the growing industry. This has left open the door to debate how to boost things like electric vehicles, storage adoption, ownership of energy storage, and how distributed energy resources can be utilized to balance the grid and improve its reliability.
Other sessions at Solar Power Texas also addressed how the local solar industry also employs more than 35,000 individuals for the manufacture of inverters, modules, racking and other components. Texas already has the sixth-highest state solar production, according to the SEIA.
