Umbriel Solar facility becomes Entergy Texas’ first solar resource

Published on April 19, 2024 by Chris Galford

© Entergy Texas

In a bid to meet sustainability goals, Entergy Texas recently announced the addition of its first solar resource: the 150 MW Umbriel Solar facility in Polk County, Texas.

Capable of powering the equivalent of more than 30,000 homes, Umbriel backs power demand growth in southeast Texas. It is owned and operated by developer Longroad Energy, and was chosen by Entergy Texas through a renewables-focused request for proposals. All told, it should help the region avoid approximately 250,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

“Generating electricity from renewable resources plays an important role in building a cleaner energy future, and Entergy Texas is seeking ways to diversify its generation portfolio and support the growing energy needs within our communities,” Abigail Weaver, Entergy Texas director of resource planning and market operations, said. “By listening to our customers and understanding their sustainability needs, we are leading the way for adding more low-emission and carbon-free resources to the generation mix here in Southeast Texas.”

With a long-term power purchase agreement reached between the two companies following Umbriel’s completion in November 2023, Entergy Texas has put its customers on notice of how to benefit from the arrangement.

Through its voluntary Green Future Program, it noted that individual customers can benefit from the facility’s solar generation without deploying their own solar panels, by subscribing to a specified amount of renewable power. From there, customers can earn Renewable Energy Credits and bill credits based on their subscription level.