The Texas Senate voted 22-9 to pass Senate Bill 819. The bill places restrictions on solar and wind power projects, requiring new permits, assessing fees, adding new regulatory requirements and placing new taxes on the projects.
The legislation “adds onerous requirements to new solar projects that would not apply to other energy sources except wind,” said the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA).
Texas has the nation’s largest utility-scale solar market – a $50 billion industry that has enough solar installed to power nearly 5 million homes. The bill is expected to slow development, raise Texans’ utility bills, harm rural economies, worsen grid reliability and encroach on private property rights.
“This bill will kill renewable energy in Texas,” Jeff Clark, CEO of Texas Power Alliance, said during public testimony.
Senate Bill 819 requires solar and wind projects of 10 MW or larger to obtain a permit from the Texas Utilities Commission to interconnect to the grid. It requires projects to report a notice of applications and hold a public meeting for proposed projects.
The bill also places a new environmental impact review by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and established an annual environmental impact fee for permit holders.
SB 819 also requires all permitted facility equipment for solar projects be at least 100 feet from property lines and 200 feet from habitable structures unless it obtains a written waiver from the property owner.
The bill also prohibits property tax abatements for solar or wind projects of 10 MW of capacity or more. Property tax abatements are a common regulatory structure for utility-scale solar projects nationwide.
“We cannot afford to turn away from the pro-energy and pro-business policies that made the Lone Star State the energy capital, but that’s exactly what SB 819 does,” said Daniel Giese, Texas director of state affairs, SEIA. “We urge the Texas House to reject this bill.”
If approved by the House and Governor, the bill is expected to raise electricity costs for Texans. Clean energy is estimated to save ratepayers in the state $11 billion over the last two years.
The restrictions are also expected to lower grid reliability. Solar is the largest source of new generation added to the grid in Texas, and experts from the state’s grid operator ERCOT, the Texas Comptroller’s office, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas credit solar and storage for helping the grid remain stable during heat waves and cold snaps.
For rural economies, a slowed solar and wind power industry means less tax revenues. Research from the University of Texas estimates that existing and planned solar, wind and energy storage projects in that state will contribute $20 billion in local tax revenues and $29.5 billion in landowner payments over the life of the projects.
The bill also claws back the right of landowners in Texas to make land use decisions on their private property.
“The state telling landowners that they can’t use their land in the way they see fit is antithetical to the Texas identity,” said SEIA.
The solar industry employs over 12,000 people in Texas. It is expected to add the most solar among all states over the next 5 years, with a projected growth of 41 GW, according to SEIA. For context, the United States has about 224 GW of solar installed cumulatively in its entire history through 2024.
The bill next heads to the Texas House of Representatives for vote. If approved, it will be sent to Governor Greg Abbott for his signature.
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Wind mills are only good when wind is less than 20mph. Have you were seen the damage to solar pannels after a hale storm? None are recycalable
Where did you get that info…here is what is shown on-line…
Cut-out speed:
Wind turbines also have a “cut-out speed”, which is the maximum wind speed they are designed to operate in. Beyond this speed, the turbine will automatically shut down to prevent damage. This speed is typically around 50-55 mph (80-88 km/h).
Fossil fuels are not recycled ever.
If that’s true….don’t you think the companies involved in building and managing solar panels and wind mills would know that…and fix what you believe are problems? Just like OG Republicans believe, less government meddling and regulation, etc.
Solar “pannels”? “Hale” storms? None are “Recycalable”? …yeah. That comment seems reliable. Whooboy… I mean wow, just wow.
OMG please stop calling them windmills! They are wind turbines. We don’t live in holland in the 12th century and are not milling grain. They are WIND TURBINES
Well, this is disappointing. I can’t say I voted for destabilizing the Texas power grid and higher energy costs. Why wouldn’t wouldn’t other Texans want to continue to be a leader in energy production while taking advantage of other revenues of production?
Our energy bills have been soaring every since the winter freeze that did so much damage. Why would our politicians want to make our costs worse?
Two words. Oil lobbyist. We fool ourselves into thinking our elected representatives actually represent us. They don’t. They represent their biggest money donors and that is unquestionably big oil in Texas.
President Kennedy may have said at least ask not what your country can do for you.Ask what you can do for your country. This energy war was created by those looking for away to make money because they have no oil For us letting that happen there will be a price. But in the long run we will be stronger and not dependant on China and stop the aggravation of the Middle Easr. Wear sweaters/coats in the house and make your home more energy efficient.
Utterly shameful that Texans are being dragged into the dark ages of no solar electricity generation at utility scale. We have a great environmental and weather incentive to harness solar and help the floors and fauna. But alas some kinky thinking political fools are driven to ruin the ecology and business advantage that TX had to become the leading state of high technology.
This is all about the fossil fuel industry lobbying to restrict solar and wind energy. They feel threatened by its succesful growth and blamed renewable energy for the big freeze electricity shortage which was not true. I believe Ercot has proposed adding Texas to the national grid to protect us against the next big freeze.
Ercot has a website that anyone can go to and it will show you exactly where our power is coming from in 5 minutes snapshots throughout the day. It’s not uncommon for solar to provide 30% of our power during the day and when to provide up to 40% of our power at any given time. This is counterproductive don’t take my word for it go to their website and see for yourself
Amen! Can’t wait to hear why they took this stance.
Wow, all I can say is wow. They lie about the EPA and regulations. Abbott is just worried about his billionaire friends” gains.
Big oil is controlling that!
Absolutely
Wind and Solar are not reliable with out batteries and dealing with the huge and continuous fluctuations in energy output requires a huge capital expense to transmission system operators. Knowing that wind and solar will not keep the grid stable requires dedicated gas turbine and thermal plants to run inefficiently and produce excessive emissions and costs per MW. If you need 500MW for industrial customers you need to install 2500MW of panels and 2500MW of batteries to cover the other 80% of the grids needs.
Solar and wind if they quadrupled in deployment would require 5x the transmission capacity from areas where people don’t live.
Distributed gas power generation solves this. RNG and E-RNG and bioH can be dedicated fuels made from wind and solar when they are available.
their are wind turbines all over Oklahoma. Climate change was just debunked by liberals burning Teslas and dealerships. Wind and solar has not made electricity any cheaper but it sure has made our beautiful landscapes Frickin Ugly. I like coal power better. They use to say clean coal.
Texas has its priorities seriously skewed. They should be addressing the damage caused by zombie wells before they even think about any aesthetic damage that might be caused by wind and solar. Our drinking and irrigation water depend on it!
Won’t kill anything for rural people. We don’t want any of it. Destroys property, property values, lives and livestock. So don’t lie and say it will hurt rural communities because we are fighting against it every day. Put it in your city lots, parks, schoolyards, especially wind, put those on city buildings and open lots, then come tell your ridiculous story.
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In the real world, solar installations have shown remarkable upsides for farming communities because solar panels help with biodiversity which includes an upswing in pollinators that help increase crop yields for nearby farmlands.
In short, having solar panels around farmland is extremely beneficial for farmers and it’s more than just the money that comes from electricity generation. It also increases farm yields.
I know you want to be negative about anything “green” but you are just cutting off your nose to spite your face.
I’m curious, I am admittedly under informed about the negative aspects of (especially solar) renewable energies? I understand that wind power needs some improvement for its output gains. But how is solar power killing rural residents? I always imagined it as a very effective way to harness energy with little downside, but again I am not super informed on the subject. Could you elaborate a little bit as to why solar is bad?
We should build a coal power plant in your community
In the oil patch we have to use wind towers for electricity to run our equipment, because we can not get it any other way. Thus will increase our cost to produce oil, and gas.
We need lower rates for electricity, not increased rates. How dumb are our representative, and Senators?
I bet the people that own land out in rural Texas where you see solar panel fields and windmills would care. Don’t think that city folks don’t own property….vast swaths of property in your rural areas. We do. We care. We’ll act.
It will, in fact, hurt rural communities. Whether you can see passed your feelings or not.
Livestock, along with fossil fuels,contribute to climate deterioration.
So much for the argument that ‘big government’ is not ‘stifling competition.’
I thought we were in Texas.
Solar and wind energy are simply not sustainable going forward replacing current power sources. Costs to build and maintain wind generators and solar fields will not be viable as opposed to the power outlay. This bill must pass!!!!
Durability and ROI of solar and wind increase year over year. They’ve essentially reached a break even now. Stop living in the past, and verify before you spit out false information as “fact”.
Agree completely. All this green washing is absolute BS. These solar fields are not green, they’re massive money makers for some companies and gov officials who push them. Ask anyone with an electric bill near a solar field or wind farm if their rates have decreased.
And what power source do you think should replace wind?
Btw….as of this hour, 40% of Texas is being powered by wind.
Why not let solar/wind energy supplement fossil fuels? How is having an excellent resource of power a threat?
Good riddance to the unsightly wind turbans and solar farms!
Texas is determined to live in the past, for some reason. A truly backward decision. I hope the representatives in the House disagree and kill this bill. I think I can smell the corrupt oil money from here.
Wind mills are not reliable and they degrade much sooner than expected. I have seen them catch fire. Contrary to popular beliefs they are very maintenance heavy and the blades are not recyclable. I live in PA and there are ugly and large scale eyesore on the land. I personally have a 48 kw solar array on my home and for small scale like a home it works very well. But large scale projects have lots of problems. Personally like small scale reactors that are extremely safe and can power 100k homes. Here in PA the regulations to build new power plants that are gas fired are cost prohibited. Thanks to Joe Biden
Interesting article but it would be good to know who is behind this legislation if it has such poor expected outcomes. Who introduced it, who is supporting it, why is it being proposed?
I wanted to know the same things. What rationale are senators using to push this?
We are falling further and further behind the world due to this type of legislation. MAGA says we need less regulation but then puts more in place when it comes to protecting big oil and hurting renewable- makes no sense just like tarriffs don’t and just about everything else they do. Streamline solar, remove oil subsidies and use them to fund solar manufacturing, geez get w the program people- vote that maga swamp out before it’s too late.
More bills to erode local control.
Cities and counties have plenty of levers to encourage or halt solar. Let the community decide, not the state.
The lowest Levelized Cost of Electricity sources are on-shore wind, utility scale solar PV, and natural gas combined cycle. Therefore, my comment ends here.
Solar is destroying our countryside. The impact is horrendous. I know. It’s in my backyard. Heat, dust, toxins, wildlife impact, property value are just a few of the things these greedy companies portray
And what else do you suggest be done? Compared to the impact of the heat and pollutants emitted by other forms of power generation, solar is exponentially less damaging.
a) how many oil derricks are leaking and abandonrd across Texas?
I have solar in my yard. My yard temps decreased because there’s more shade. I track these temps with esp32s and various thermostats on my victron controllers and store it long term.
There’s are no toxins released from solar either. Please list one toxin emitted from solar. If used correctly, it’s emission free.
I perform YEARLY soil tests in my garden, and my toxins only decrease over time due to my choice of cover crop between seasons. No silicone, copper, or aluminum introduced into my yard lol.
Decrease property values, sure. But destroy nature and emit chemicals…. That’s a lie and you know it. Everyone knows it’s a lie.
Not true at all. Good lord
Ok. Let’s put an oil well in instead. You’ll love it!
Please elaborate on all those toxins? Please!
These are regulations that have been imposed in several other states, but apparently when Texas does it, it’s bad. Oh well, not like this is going to deter alternative energy anyway… I’m sure the fear mongers who get paid per click have done well to scare you into thinking as much… but this will have absolutely no effect on energy in TX.
Complete BS kow tow to the oil industry. TX should be leading the charge in renewable energy. Our power grid is unreliable and unsustainable–the ERCOT chief even said so himself and said in 5 years were going to be facing a crisis. Typical politicians voting as the oil barrens tell them to protecting oil interests.
Thank God these alternative power supplies are good ideas but also harmful still to our environment you have fiberglass propellers on wind turbines that can and will break and solar feeds batteries that need lithium and lithium mining is bad for the environment…… So thank you for being stricter on this source of energy
Much More Needs To Be Done On Regulations Regarding Maintenance On Solar Farms !! I Regularly Pass At Least 6 Existing Fields And All Are In Sad Disrepair Already !! NO Maintenance Appears To Be Done !! SAD Especially Since I Also Pass At Least 4 More Under Construction!!! TY
Meanwhile we will now be taxed to send students to private, mostly religious affiliated schools, while public schools get starved of funding. How is that Republican government working for you now?
We do not have solar panels, but I would like to leave a comment about the exorbitant rise in the AEP North delivery charges on our electricity bills. This year our bills have gone up $100 or every month due to the delivery charge. It used to be$ in the $20 to $40 dollar range.
Ha, finally.
The forced push to drop established and proven all weather 24/7/365 energy production in favor of fickle and impotent energy sources that are decades away from the technical innovations and breakthroughs that are essential for those sources to be remotely comparable and as robust as geochemically produced hydrocarbon liquids and gases. The truth that nobody wants to believe is that petroleum and natural gas are continually being produced by the interaction between the planet’s oceans, subduction zones, and geotectonuc processes. There is a layer of gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons between the bottom of the planetary crust and interface of the upper-mantle.
Literally oil or gas can be obtained from any point on the surface of the planet, the only question is how deep the drilling has to go. For convenience and cheaper recovery it has been easier to explore fault zones and plate boundaries. The chemicals outgassed by volcanic eruptions are consistent with what is expected from magma pushing through significant hydrocarbon reserves. There maybe a day at some distant point in the future where mankind is extracting petroleum and natural gas at a rate exceeding the planet’s production capacity, but that is many, many, centuries away if ever.
Solar and wind are incapable of supplying the energy needed to manufacture solar panels, wind turbines, and the necessary support/maintenance equipment/systems. They are highly inefficient and wasteful uses of oil and gas for what is nothing more than high profile virtue signaling. The amount of money that has been straight up wasted is criminal.
I cannot believe how BACKWARD the republicans have come and are going. Why take a cheap shot at renewable energy?
People! We have got to start protesting!
Finally, common sense
Senators in the pockets of big oil and the grid owners. Solar gives Texas rresidents grid independence and the grid owners lose money. If it weren’t for the solar energy out into the grid, our power grids would go down anytime we had prolonged high temps! Very backward thinking especially as the population of the state grows.
Replicates the thinking at Federal level. Solar is bad, wind causes cancer. Drill…baby drill…cause earthquakes
This is what Texas voted for! Everyone gets higher rates and less stability. Welcome to hell!
Texas. Where, by God Almighty, no one is gonna infringe on your personal proper… oh wait….
Actually wind and solar companies here in Texas hurt rural economies because the offer no jobs but take up valuable land that could be used to create jobs for those areas. The only people it help is greedy legacy land owners that care nothing about those towns and actually live in big cities.
Those wind mills hurt our birds. And are not the best for energy, there are much better ways for energy then these wind mills. Solar panels are better but don’t last long enough, hail, bad weather snow, contribute to a not very sustainable electrical system, battery back with panels maybe better.
Solar is less expensive than other sources of electricity to produce. This is purely a political favor for big oil.
Wind and solar are garbage. We need more reliable energy production through natural gas, coal, or nuclear. These are actual producers or energy that will bring costs down.